Past Tainted By Blood
by Emmy The Queen Salvatore
Summary: PART OF MY CANON COLLECTION. After 290 years apart, Damon Salvatore, a former Gaul king, starts receiving strange premonitions. He believes his wife, Emma, a former Roman princess, is still alive. Desire, heartbreak, envy, redemption, fear, and rage, begins now. DxOC. CONTINUED IN SAVING ME
1. Second Chance

**NOTE: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or any other show I draw plot lines and inspiration from in any shape or form. The only character I own is my OC, Emma**

The sunlight lightly drifted in through the sheer curtains of a bedroom. However, the light wasn't what woke Emma Salvatore. It was the touch of a man.

"I thought I told you no more sleepovers, Stefan," Emma rasped as Stefan stopped stroking the bare skin of Emma's back.

"I thought after last night you'd changed your mind," Stefan replied, a smug smirk on his face.

"It wasn't _that_ great if we're going to be honest."

"You know, I still don't understand why we don't do this in your bed." Stefan's hand moved to her arm and Emma grabbed it, crushing the bones.

"Because that bed is my marital bed and there's only one man who will ever occupy it."

"Emma, it's been 290 years. He's dead and he's not coming back. Emma, you won't be sad forever."

"Maybe I want to. Maybe it's what I deserve," said Emma as she rose from the bed and put on a white silk robe. "Please go, Stefan. I have a lot to do today." Stefan sighed as Emma left the room for her bedroom.

She took off her robe and threw it on the blue and brown brocade bedspread on the canopy bed. She walked over to her walk-in closet, pulled on some clothes, and picked up a beautiful gold vintage pendant hanging from her bedside lamp. She opened the locket and in one side was a portrait of a startlingly handsome man. In the other half was an inscription in Latin. In aeternum te amabo. For all eternity, I will love you. Emma closed the locket and kissed it.

"I love you too, my Damon," she murmured as she placed the trinket around her neck. "Today will be different, my dear. It has to be. I will smile and it will be believable. My smile will say, I'm fine. Thank you. Yes, I feel much better. I will no longer be the sad woman who lost her husband. I will start fresh, be someone new. It's the only way I'll make it through." Emma looked over her appearance in the mirror one last time and walked out to her silver Audi R8. She turned on the radio after she started the engine and began the ten-minute drive into Santa Barbara, California. As she drove, she remembered the events that led to her sorrow. That last day Emma had step foot in Russia. Moscow, 1722.

Stefan was so close to victory he could taste it. Emma would soon be his. Over the centuries, he'd grown sick and tired of seeing the love of his life fawning over his brother. The brothers had known Emma since the birth of the Roman Empire and Damon had always been by her side, her eternal husband. However, Stefan wanted her for himself. His brother didn't deserve her. He had hatched a plot to take her away from the elder Salvatore. He had sent word to a group of hunters that the notorious Damon and Emma Salvatore were in Moscow. When Damon had left to hunt, the hunters captured and tortured Emma. However, the Emma they had was a fake. A substitution body Stefan had a witch make. When Damon had returned, the hunters had left and Damon had been forced to watch as his wife's body burned. As Damon watched in terror, Stefan had moved Emma to a safe house, having paralyzed her before the hunters could reach her.

"Stefan, where am I?" Emma groaned when she woke.

"A safe place."

"Where is Damon?"

"I'm so sorry, Emmalyne."

"No…no…he can't be dead," Emma whispered, shaking her head, not willing to believe it. They'd survived for almost two thousand years. This couldn't be the end.

"I saw it happen. They burned him alive. All that's left are these ashes." In reality, the ashes Stefan had he had stolen from a human cemetery. Emma took the jar and hugged it as she cried.

"My Damon," she moaned. "Why didn't you save him?"

"There wasn't time and I risked exposure."

"Go."

"What?"

"I said go! I want to be alone."

"As you wish." It wasn't long before Emma headed to China to do some soul searching. Damon left in the opposite direction for Europe. Stefan had done as Emma had ordered. He left, but he knew Emma would eventually come back to him. And she did. They met again later in 1820 when vampires settled the town of Santa Barbara, when Emma formed the safe zone for vampires, a place where vampires coexisted peacefully with humans under the leadership of their queen. It had all been made possible with the rise of humans willing to offer blood, donors, and the innovation of synthetic blood. Over the past two hundred years, the only thing that had kept Emma sane was her event planning business. Without it, she probably would have met the sun years ago. For almost three hundred years, Emma had lived in ignorance, not knowing the sin Stefan had committed.

Across the continent in New York City, Damon Salvatore walked through the kitchen of his penthouse apartment. He was exhausted. He felt like he hadn't gotten a good night's rest in days. Strange dreams kept waking him up in the middle of the night. The same dream. Over and over again. Images of Emma by the ocean side. Her only words? Come find me. As he pondered over the dream, he heard the door to his apartment open.

"Well, you look like crap," said a brunette.

"Hello, Rose."

"Hello, brother. The same dream again?"

"Yes," he sighed.

"Maybe it means something."

"Come on. You really don't believe in that premonition crap, do you, sister?"

"Or it could just be your subconscious telling you to find another true love. When was the last time you've been on a serious date?"

"I've been in love. It's painful and pointless and overrated."

"Don't be so grumpy. You'll find another like her."

"That's the point, Rose. I won't and I don't even want to. My primary reason for existence has abandoned me and the remains of the shaky ground that I walk on are about to go kaboom. Maybe you have a point. Maybe these dreams do mean something. I just don't know what. I'm going out for a while."

"Damon?" Rose asked as her brother opened the door.

"What is it?"

"Be careful." Damon nodded and sped out the front door. He needed to see Will. The Seeker. When you needed to find someone, you always went to Will. He knows everything about everything. As Damon snuck into Will's apartment in Manhatten, a man came up behind him and locked him in a vice grip. Damon elbowed him in the gut and flipped him on his back, grabbing him by the throat.

"Easy, Tiger," Damon warned.

"Damon? You scared the crap out of me," said the dark-haired man as Damon released him.

"That's cause you're out of practice." Will knocked Damon down on the floor, sweeping his feet out from underneath him. "Or not."

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for somebody."

"And what you think they're in here?" Damon pulled a tin drawing out of his jacket pocket. It was a quite accurate picture of Emma. He handed the photo to Will.

"Emmalyne Tatiana Mikaelson. Emma to her friends."

"Nice. She a vampire?"

"Of course she's a vampire. She's the vampire. The Vampire Queen."

"Wait, this is your wife? Damon, you told me she was dead."

"I keep getting this feeling that something isn't right. That like maybe she's still alive."

"You're damn right about that. I just saw her a month ago."

"What! And you didn't think to tell me this!"

"I didn't know she was _that_ Emma. She's got some event planning business down in Santa Barbara."

"I've got to see her."

"Damon, that's not a good idea."

"Why the hell not?"

"I think she's involved with somebody."

"Who?"

"Damon."

"Answer the damn question!"

"Your brother. It's Stefan." Breathless, Damon slumped into a chair in the corner of the room.

"That bastard," he murmured. "Does…does she love him?"

"Listen, I didn't stick around too long while I was there. There's some shit going down in that place. You know Santa Barbara's a safe zone for us right? Everyone that lives there knows about us, but it's contained. No one outside of the town knows about vampires. I have it from good authority that someone is going to make a move against the Queen. I know you want to see Emma, you need answers, but you should stay out of this for now."

In Santa Barbara, Emma walked into a storefront labeled Salvatore & Samadi Events in a beautiful cursive script.

"Listen, you don't get to change the rules of the game after the game has started, Frank!" Emma yelled into her cellphone, startling her employees as she walked into her office decorated in soft whites and grays. "And that goes for your silent South American partners too. My position is simple. I'm short five cases of synthetic blood and that was a guaranteed deal. Guaranteed." A small black-haired woman stood in the hallway near Emma's office. Emma took her mouth away from her cellphone. "Hey, Bonnie. Let me get rid of this guy." Emma was one of the oldest vampires Bonnie Bennett knew. 2,064 going on 25. Living proof that paranoia never goes out of style. "Any default and I would not be sleeping so snugly if I were you. These people are unbelievable. No integrity. Oh you don't like veiled threats? Then how about this? You screw me and I will personally cut your heart out, okay?" Bonnie raised an eyebrow at her friend. "It's the only thing they understand." Emma returned to her conversation. "Oh that sounds good. My best to the family." Emma then hung up. "You look good. You working out?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes and threw a newspaper on Emma's desk.

"Have you seen the news headlines? Vampire slaying rocks Santa Barbara."

"Great just what we need. How many times do I have to tell these reporters not to mention vampire business in print?"

"It doesn't look good for you guys."

"It's a threat to our secrecy outside of Santa Barbara. What is this? The 1720s? We're discreet. We have rules. We're civilized. We don't leave bodies lying around! We have to be extra vigilant. We live in an age of finger print scans, DNA tests, genome mapping."

"Emma, relax."

"I am relaxed. This is relaxed. You've never been chased by a torch-bearing mob. France. Damon thought it was funny."

"I'm surprised you came in today. All things considering."

"The date of Damon's death. It's just another day, Bonnie. I just have to find some way to get through it."

"So my Grams is telling me I'm psychic. Our ancestors were from Salem and at first, I thought she was totally nuts, but then I started thinking, I predicted Obama and I predicted Heath Ledger, and I still think Florida will break off and turn into little resort islands." Bonnie snapped her fingers after realizing Emma wasn't paying that much attention. Just looking out the window at a crow. "Emma. Hello?"

"I did it again, didn't I? I'm sorry, Bonnie. You were telling me that…"

"That I'm psychic now."

"Okay. Then predict something. About me."

"I predict that all the sad and dark times are over for you and that you're going to be beyond happy."

"Thanks. You always know what to say. Is there coffee?"

"Yeah in the break room."

"Everybody here yet?" Emma asked.

"No, not yet. We're still waiting on Serena," said Bonnie as the two girls walked into the break room.

"Okay."

"Emma, oh my God," said Caroline, walking into the room and hugging her friend. "How are you? How is she? Is she good?"

"Caroline, I'm right here. And I'm fine. Thank you," Emma replied.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Oh, you poor thing." The blonde human hugged the vampire again.

"Okay, Caroline. That's enough."

"Ooh, coffee," said Caroline, heading into the miniature kitchen. Emma looked at Bonnie.

"No comment."

"I wasn't going to say anything."

Once all of Emma's employees had filtered into the break room, Emma notified them of all their assignments for the day in preparation for a big wedding they were planning. After the meeting concluded, Emma walked back into her office and saw several crow feathers on her window sill. She opened the window and picked one up. Suddenly, she was accosted by several flashes of successive images.

"Damon," she whispered. "It's not possible. I'm going crazy. Back to work." Around lunchtime, Stefan came into Emma's office.

"Hello, Stefan. How can I help you?" Emma asked, not looking up from the documents she was rifling through.

"We have a serious problem."

"Yes, I know. I've read the newspaper."

"You don't know the whole story."

"Then enlighten me," said Emma, finally looking up from her work. Stefan threw her a vial.

"Got you something. The humans are calling it black crystal." Emma smelled it and recoiled.

"This is vampire blood."

"Yeah. Apparently the new high for humans now is us."

"That strictly violates the treaty. Vampire blood is only given to humans for medical purposes."

"It gets worse. I sent the Cleaners to look into the lab that was cooking this stuff up." Emma smirked. Cleaners. Strictly vampire only membership, the Cleaners were responsible for cleaning up any vampire-related messes. They had made life a lot easier for everyone in Santa Barbara.

"Did they take care of it?"

"They never came back, Emma."

"What?"

"So I went to check it out myself. Found these." Stefan placed a bluish bullet on her desk. A liquid sloshed around at the tip. "It's definitely an irradiated fluid of some kind. Ultraviolet ammunition. It's why the Cleaners never came back. Someone has harnessed daylight as a weapon."

"Are you telling me that a foolish blood bag came up with a bullet specifically engineered to kill vampires?"

"I'm betting its military or someone with military connections."

"The Council," Emma reasoned. "Investigate it. Immediately. And you tell no one of this. I don't want vampires going around town thinking the humans are going to off them. We keep this contained." Stefan nodded in understanding before he left.

When Emma returned home that night, she threw her jacket on the couch in the living room and poured herself a stiff drink. She walked toward the fireplace.

"Well, I made it through the day, Damon. I must have said, I'm fine, thanks, at least thirty-seven times. And I didn't mean it once. But no one noticed. When someone asks, 'How are you?' they really don't want an answer. I couldn't have been more wrong. I thought that I could smile, nod my way through it; pretend like it would all be ok. I had a plan. I wanted to change who I was; create a life as someone new, someone without a past. Without the pain. Someone alive. But it's not that easy. The bad things stay with you. They follow you. You can't escape them, as much as you want to. All you can do is be ready for the good. So when it comes, you invite it in, because you need it. God, do I need it, love. I need you back." A lone tear trailed down Emma's cheek. Suddenly, Emma sensed a presence. It wasn't human, vampire. Several vampires. As if on cue, the windows in the parlor shattered and vampires sped into the room, surrounding Emma.

"What? You don't know how to use the door?" Emma asked. The vampires pointed weapons at her. "What are you doing? I'm your Queen. Put down your weapons before you hurt yourselves."

"We have orders."

"From who? Your orders come from me."

"Stefan Salvatore. He believes you've become weak over your grief for Damon. We happen to agree with him. You've become a liability."

"What?" Emma asked, shocked. As the vampires fired on Emma, the old vampire moved at super speed to a wooden box on the mantle and removed a gun. She ran into the kitchen and shot at the vampires. She couldn't believe the vampires she had protected for so long would turn against her so easily. Suddenly, Emma heard several screams and closed her eyes, waiting for the intruders in her home to come closer. However, all she heard was one set of footsteps. She looked into the doorway of the kitchen and saw a set of hands sticking out of the doorway as if in surrender.

"Absence is to love what wind is to fire; it extinguishes the small, it rekindles the great," said a man's voice. Emma opened her eyes in shock. That was her favorite quote. Only Damon knew that about her. Any time the two had been in a perilous situation, they had exchanged their favorite quotes as signals.

"If I had a flower for every time I thought of you, I could walk in my garden forever," Emma recited. Damon entered the room and Emma fell apart, crying.

"Hey, it's me. It's me."

"Damon. How did you…" She cried harder as he hugged her.

"Shh, shh."

"How is this possible?" Damon let out a deep sigh as he exhaled her scent. Jasmine and lilies. This was like a dream, a really twisted dream, but still a dream. It had been so long, too long.

"Stefan separated us, the little bastard."

"What?"

"He's been lying to us both this entire time. I promise I'll explain everything, but we need to go. And we need to go now. I killed them all, but others will most likely be coming soon. Pack a bag. Quickly." At super speed, Emma flashed upstairs and came back down with a black bag. "Come on. Let's go."

"Damon, you don't look very happy to see me." Damon sighed and his stoic façade melted as he kissed her with all the pent-up passion that had been building inside him since Russia for his sweet Emmalyne.

"I am very happy," he said, his voice cracking when their lips parted. "And I promise I'll show you just how much."

And with that the two vampires then disappeared into the night and took the first plane out of Los Angeles to the Philippines. An hour later, Stefan walked into Emma's house and saw all the Cleaners that he sent dead. Their hearts ripped out. Emma had been so cold to him lately and he knew that she wouldn't be giving up Damon anytime soon. If he could have Emma, then no one could, he reasoned. Stefan sped upstairs and looked in Emma's bedroom. He was shocked when he saw a message written on the mirror. No. More. Lies.

"Shit." Another vampire walked into the room while Stefan ran through all the possible moves he had left.

"Hey, her car's still here and we picked up activity on one of her passports. She went to Manila."

"What the hell is she doing in the Philippines?" Stefan asked.

"We also picked up suspicious activity on another passport." The vampire handed Stefan a piece of paper, featuring Damon's photograph. "Karl C. Brundage."

"Crap."

"You know this guy?"

"He's Emma's husband."

"Damon? I thought he was dead."

"He was supposed to be."

"What do we do? Should we pursue them?"

"No. Leave them be. This coup is over."

The next day, Emma and Damon were on a boat in the Philippines, the crystal clear water and islands of the country ahead of them. Damon was looking at several maps when Emma joined him.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey. We lost?"

"No. Just looking at our options."

"Oh. I was kind of hoping we were lost." Damon smirked and kissed her. Their passion for each other exploded and they made their way down to the lower deck, their lips never parting.

"Emma, my Emma," Damon murmured as his lips trailed down to her neck. As he moved down to her collarbone, Emma pushed him onto their makeshift bed and pulled off her dress before straddling him.

"Rough Emma. It's been awhile since I've seen her come out to play."

"Well, I don't have to be on my best behavior anymore," Emma replied as she ripped his shirt off and kissed down his chest. With vampire speed, Damon flipped her over and kissed her neck and collarbone.

"Oh, Damon. Don't stop. Don't ever stop."

"I never could. Your beauty…it cuts me. Deep. To the marrow of my bones. I love you so much, my Roman princess. God, I missed you. I thought of you constantly," said Damon as he kissed down her stomach. The guilt began to set in. How could she have slept with Damon's brother? Good God this was twisted.

"Wait, wait. I, uh…"

"What? What is it?"

"I…I have to tell you something." Emma began to hyperventilate as the reality of the situation set in. "Damon, I…"

"Shh," said Damon, cradling her head. He knew what she was trying to say. "I know about Stefan."

"It was just sex. I promise. Just whenever I had an itch. I never…I never loved him. Not like I love you."

"My love, it's alright. We're alright. I don't care. All I care about is that you're mine again. You are mine, aren't you?"

"Of course. Always. Forever. I was yours since the moment we met in Rome."

"I know. If you weren't, you wouldn't still have this necklace. You still wouldn't be wearing your ring. Stefan will pay for what he's done to the both of us, but for now I just need to feel you again. Feel love again."

"I missed you so much. Please forgive me," Emma whimpered.

"I don't have to forgive you because you did nothing wrong, but if forgiveness is what you seek, then you have it. Will you forgive me for not finding you sooner?"

"Yes." With a fiery kiss, all other words became meaningless and all they felt was each other as they rid themselves of their remaining clothes. Their hands slid into each other's hair as Damon drew her closer to him.

"Damon," Emma moaned as he left sloppy wet kisses on her stomach and hips. Damon groaned at the sound of her whimpers.

"I missed your taste," Damon growled after he licked Emma's clit languidly and massaged her stomach. Emma moaned, grinding her head farther into the pillows.

"Bite me," she unexpectedly sighed.

Damon yielded to her request, all his senses on overload. His fangs slid into her inner thigh with ease and his eyes turned a vibrant red when Emma's blood hit his tongue. He shivered at her taste. He recalled biting her the last time they were together and realized she was the same—fragrant, innocent, and purely divine. He was in heaven. Damon's hand grazed over her thighs. As he stroked her core, Emma pushed into him, shamelessly squirming beneath him. He touched her in ways he only knew and it drove her mad. With Emma's moans reverberating through the room like a melody he would never tire of, Damon groaned faintly and moved one finger into her.

"Yes, Damon," Emma urged, the only thought she was able to utter. She grasped his shoulders, rocking in time as a few drops of sweat accumulated on her forehead. "Damon!" Emma cried when a second finger entered and her world shattered.

She pulled her husband's head away from her thigh and seized his lips. Sampling her own blood from him, Damon consumed her moans. He removed his hand from her so he could clutch her hips. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever witnessed—hair splayed out like a halo, perfect lips, and rosy cheeks. Her eyes shone brilliantly.

Emma's eyes closed as Damon dropped kisses down the column of her throat. Skin again skin, their bodies humming in anticipation, Damon enveloped her smooth, flawless breast with his mouth. Massaging the firm bud with his tongue, Emma arched into him, wailing in bliss. Not wishing to neglect her other breast, he massaged the lone mound softly. She had forgotten how talented Damon was. After feeling dead inside for so long, his caresses made her body buzz alive. If she died right now, in this moment, she would have no regrets.

"Oh, Damon," Emma whimpered as Damon growled, plunging into her wet heat with one deep thrust.

Words couldn't describe how perfect she was for him, so tight, so warm, like she was made only for him. Emma gasped at the deep penetration. The sensation of him, after so long, consumed her and she wanted more, every part of him. Emma grinded against him and as Damon moaned and pushed gradually in and out of her, she thought if this wasn't bliss, she didn't know what was. Emma's foot pressed into the small of his back and during every movement, their skin touched. Their alignment was nothing but perfection, so gorgeous, and it lit their bodies up with an indescribable fire.

"Deeper," Emma whispered, wanting to be utterly consumed by this sexy as hell man. Clutching her hips, Damon pulled her up off the bed onto his lap and thrust harder. "Yes. Oh God!"

"I do enjoy the comparison, love, but please call me by my name." Emma laughed. How she had missed his arrogance.

When Emma, her fangs extended, tightened around him, she clutched his shoulder firmly, and, using her free hand, she drew his lips to hers in a kiss so violent she extracted blood from his lip. She groaned at the honeyed, warm taste. As Damon sighed, the thought of Emma drinking his blood made him push into her more wantonly. The first surge of pleasure claimed Emma, rocking through her. As her legs squeezed his hips, she moaned garbled words into his wet skin. Damon quaked as he yelled her name in pleasure. Hiding his face in the crook of her neck, his seed shot into her. As Damon tried to regain some trace of sanity, Emma took his hand into hers, resting her head on his chest. She remembered all the times she cried herself to sleep, the searing pain that had scorched her veins as she realized she'd have to live in a world without him. In that moment, Emma realized she never wanted this moment of unadulterated bliss to end and would never take any moment that had together in the future for granted. She would enjoy every second of it.


	2. Love Song

This morning was different for Emma. There was change. Even still half-asleep, she could sense it, feel it. She felt awake for the first time, completely and undeniably wide-awake. She didn't regret the day before it began. She welcomed the day because she knew she would see him again. For the first time in a long time, she felt good. Emma moaned as she felt lips pressed against the column of her throat. She stretched, opening her eyes, and wrapped her arms around her husband as the hammock they were lying in on the beach rocked gently back and forth.

"Morning," she whispered.

"Morning," he replied back kissing her lips. "You have no idea how much and how long I've been wanting to do that."

"Well, we did a lot of that last night and the night before that and the night before that. I love you so much."

"I love you too. Now are we going to talk about the big elephant in the room? Or should I say beach?"

"Stefan."

"Yeah. Stefan. What are we going to do about that?"

"No, I mean Stefan," said Emma, pointing at a man walking toward them on the beach.

"Why that little…" At vampire speed, Damon flashed down to his little brother and punched him. "You've got a lot of nerve! What the hell are you doing here?"

"Wow, you're angry," Stefan replied, flexing his jaw.

"No shit!"

"Listen, I was there when you thought she was burning. I know you think it's my fault."

"Think? I know you little worm! For the longest period of my life I thought Emma was dead."

"Part of me didn't mind seeing you that broken up if we're going to be honest."

"Leave!"

"I just want to talk."

"Damon asked you to leave. Nicely. I won't give you that luxury if you don't get off my beach in ten seconds," Emma threatened.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm leaving Santa Barbara and that all the vampires from the coup were killed by Rose. You can go home if you want." Stefan then disappeared after that. Emma and Damon looked at each other not sure what to think.

Several days later in Santa Barbara, Erica Samadi and her brother, Nathan, walked into the kitchen where their mother, Serena, was hurriedly preparing for the day.

"Toast. I can make toast," said Serena.

"It's all about the coffee, Mom," said Erica.

"Is there coffee?" Nathan asked.

"Your first day of college and I'm totally unprepared. Lunch money?"

"I'm good," said Erica as Nathan took the money.

"Anything else? A number two pencil? What am I missing?"

"Don't you have a big meeting today?"

"Emma's back in town and she wants a meeting with all the directors to see where things are with the Landon event. Crap, I'm going to be late!"

"Then go. We'll be fine."

"Don't forget to come in after school, you two. Your godmother can use all the help she can get." Erica nodded and Serena left the house. A half hour later, Serena met Emma at the office.

"I'm so glad you're back," said Serena, hugging her best friend. "Are you okay?"

"I'm great. You have no idea how great. Damon's back and Stefan's gone. Everything's the way it should be."

"Huh? Stefan's not gone. What are you talking about?"

"What are _you _talking about? Stefan visited Damon and I in the Philippines. He said he was leaving Santa Barbara."

"Well, then he lied to you. He applied at UC Santa Barbara." After a moment of thought, Emma sped out of the building. "Crap. I knew she was going to do that." Several minutes later, Emma was at home rifling through a trunk of weapons when she felt someone behind her. She turned around and saw Damon.

"Don't do that!" Emma yelled.

"What? Use my crafty vampire abilities to sneak up on you? Serena called. Said you were about to do something extremely stupid. And I said wait that can't be the Emma I know."

"You should come. You love a challenge," said Emma, flipping a knife in her hand.

"No, see I'm a lover not a fighter."

"Your brother lied to us again. He's going to college. The same college that Erica and Nathan are going to." Damon's playful smirk then dropped.

"What?"

"Yeah. Now, I think Stefan needs to learn the lesson that there's nothing like a vampire queen scorned."

"Come on. We'll go to the coven house. He might not have left for the college yet." A few minutes later, Damon's Camaro pulled up outside a large mansion in the mountains. The doors leading to the front parlor opened widely as the old vampires entered. The numerous vampires that had been previously partying looked to see their elders.

"WHERE IS HE!" Damon boomed.

"SPEAK!" Emma added.

"We haven't seen Stefan in days. He said he was moving in to the Salvatore home."

Damon growled and he and Emma left.

Meanwhile at UC Santa Barbara, Nathan was at the back of the building, giving his friend, Vicki Donovan, some pills.

"Don't take more than two in a six-hour window," said Nathan.

"Hey, Vicki. I knew I'd find you here with the crackheads," said Tyler Lockwood.

"Hey," said Vicki.

"Hey, Pete Wentz called. He wants his nail polish back," said Tyler to Nathan.

"Pete Wentz, huh? How old school TRL of you. Carson Daly fan?"

"Oh, Ty, be nice. That's Erica's little brother," Vicki warned.

"I know who he is. I'll still kick his ass."

Inside the administration building, Bonnie and Erica were walking down the hallway.

"Major lack of male real estate. Look at the shower curtain on Kelly Beech. She looks like a hot — can I still say 'tranny mess'?" Bonnie asked.

"No, that's over."

"Ahh. Find a man, coin a phrase. It's a busy year." Erica waved to her ex-boyfriend, Matt Donovan, from across the hall, but he ignored her.

"He hates me."

"That's not hate. That's 'you dumped me, but I'm too cool to show it, but secretly I'm listening to Air Supply's greatest hits. Hold up. Who's this?" Bonnie asked, seeing the back of presumably a new student.

"All I see is back."

"It's a hot back."

"Your records are incomplete. You're missing immunization records, and we do insist on transcripts," said the school secretary inside the office.

"Please look again. I'm sure everything you need is there," said Stefan, compelling the secretary.

"Well, you're right. So it is."

"I'm sensing Seattle, and he plays the guitar," said Bonnie.

"You're really going to run this whole psychic thing into the ground, huh?"

"Pretty much."

"Nathan, good batch, man," Erica heard a guy say to her brother.

"I'll be right back," said Erica, seeing her brother walk into the bathroom.

"Please be hot," Bonnie muttered. Erica walked into the boy's bathroom and grabbed Nathan's face, looking into his eyes to see if he was high.

"Great. It's the first day of school and you're stoned."

"No, I'm not."

"Where is it? Is it on you?"

"Stop, all right! You need to chill yourself, all right?"

"Chill myself? What is that, stoner talk? Dude, you are so cool."

"Look, stop! I don't have anything on me. Are you crazy?"

"You haven't seen crazy, Nathan! You know what? Go ahead. Keep it up. But just know that I am going to be there to ruin your buzz every time, you got it? Nathan, I know who you are. And it's not this person. So don't be this person."

"I don't need this," said Nathan as he left. Erica exited the bathroom and accidentally ran into Stefan.

"Uh, pardon me. Um...is this the men's room?" Stefan asked.

"Yes. Um, I was just, um—I was just—It's a long story. Just...do I know you?"

"I'm Stefan Salvatore."

"You're a vampire."

"What tipped you off?"

"The name. Salvatore. I know Emma. She's my godmother."

"Ah, Emma. She's my sister-in-law."

"I haven't seen her around lately. Do you know where she is?"

"Vacation last I heard."

"Hmm. Hey, if you're new to town, there's a bonfire party tonight for the new school year. You should come."

"I'll think about it." Erica nodded and then left.

That night, Stefan arrived to a party in the woods and was listening for Erica.

"Just admit it, Erica," said Bonnie.

"Oh, okay, so he's a little pretty."

"He has that romance novel stare. Stefan looked deep into her eyes, piercing her very soul."

"Bonnie, it'd be weird. He's my godmother's brother-in-law."

"Doesn't mean you couldn't have a little fun. So where is he?" Bonnie asked Erica.

"I don't know. You tell me, you're the psychic one."

"Right, I forgot. Okay, so give me a sec. Grams says I have to concentrate."

"Wait, you need a crystal ball." Erica handed her a bottle. Bonnie took it and touched Erica's hand. Bonnie spaced out for a minute and abruptly pulled her hand back after coming back to her senses. "What?"

"That was weird. When I touched you, I saw a crow."

"What?"

"A crow. There was fog, a man…and a woman. I'm drunk. It's the drinking. There's nothing psychic about it. Yeah? Okay, I'm gonna get a refill." Bonnie left. Erica turned around and saw Stefan behind her.

"Hi," said Stefan.

"Hi," Erica said, surprised.

"You're upset about something."

"Oh, uh, no, it's- it's just Bonnie. She's... You know what? Never mind. You're here."

"I'm here."

Meanwhile in the woods, Vicki was walking around in the forest alone after having a fight with Tyler and Nathan. She turned around when she heard a noise.

"Nathan? Is that you? Nathan?" Fog descended around her as a woman stood behind her. Swift as lightning, she was attacked from behind.

Back by the main congregation of high school students, Stefan was walking around with Erica when Erica noticed her drunk brother walk into the forest.

"God, you've got to be kidding me," she groaned.

"What is it?"

"My brother."

"The drunk one?"

"That would be the one. Excuse me."

"Need some help?"

"Trust me, you're not going to want to witness this. Nathan! Nathan!" Erica yelled, following Nathan into the woods. "Nathan, where the hell are you going?"

"I don't want to hear it!"

"Yeah, well, too bad!" Nathan tripped and saw Vicki's body, a bloody bite mark on her neck.

"Vicki? No! Oh, my god, it's Vicki!" Nathan yelled.

"Oh my God!" Nathan scooped Vicki up in his arms and he and Erica walked back to the party. "Somebody help!"

"Vicki? Vicki, what the hell!" yelled Matt.

"What happened to her?" asked Tyler Lockwood.

"Bonnie, call an ambulance!" Matt yelled.

"It's her neck. Something bit her. She's losing a lot of blood," said Erica. As the scene unfolded, Stefan ran away into the forest toward the Salvatore Mansion. When he entered the house, he went into the library and knew something was definitely wrong when he saw a crow fly in through the open window and the door slam behind him. The wind was knocked out of him when he was pushed to the floor.

"Hello, brother," Damon smirked as he punched him.

"Damon. Crow's a bit much, don't you think?"

"Wait till you see what I can do with the fog."

"Thought you said you were leaving town," said Emma, emerging from behind the door she slammed.

"I changed my mind. I want to set things right between us."

"You're going to have a hard time doing that when I rip your head off," said Damon.

"Listen, what I did was wrong. I know that. We've lived for over two thousand years, Damon. Together, the three of us. We're the only ones of the Family that have stayed together. Our sisters went off in separate directions after the death of the rest of Emma's family. I just want some peace again." Damon looked at Emma.

"I don't trust him," Emma replied.

"How can I trust you?" Stefan asked. "I know your handiwork, Emma. You almost killed that girl tonight. What the hell are you doing? You can't just go killing humans here. It's Santa Barbara."

"The wounds I inflicted on that girl are my insurance policy. I wrapped your scent around that girl. What do you think'll happen if I send the Cleaners on her. They'll know you fed on her without permission and I'll have them kill you. Be a good boy, stay away from Erica, and I won't send the report in."

"What is it with you and that girl? She told me you were her godmother. Why are you protecting a human?"

"That's my business. Not yours. Stay away from her and I won't send in the report to the Cleaners."

"Let me ask you something, Stefan. Is it working?" Damon asked. "Being around her, being in her world? Does it make you feel alive? When's the last time you had something stronger than a squirrel?"

"I know what you're doing, Damon. It's not gonna work."

"Yeah? Come on. Don't you crave a little?" asked Damon, hitting Stefan.

"Stop it."

"Let's do it. Together. I saw a couple girls out there. Or just, let's just cut to the chase. Let's just go straight for Erica."

"Stop it!" Stefan yelled, hitting Damon back.

"Imagine what her blood tastes like!" Dark veins appeared underneath Stefan's eyes and his fangs unsheathed. "I can."

"I said stop!" Stefan collided with Damon, throwing him out the window. However, when Stefan landed on the pavement, Damon had disappeared. Stefan got up and saw Damon and Emma leaning against the bushes, Emma's arm around Damon's neck.

"I'm impressed. What do you think?" Damon asked Emma.

"I give it a six. Missing style, but pleasantly surprised. Very good with the whole face-rawr thing. It was good."

"Damon, please."

"You want peace, right? Well, you fucked up any chance of that when you lied to the both of us, when you separated us. Now, all you're going to get is an eternity of misery." Suddenly, Damon grabbed Stefan by the throat and threw him against the garage. Emma smirked. "You should know better than to think you're stronger than me. You lost that fight when you stopped feeding on people. I wouldn't try it again. " Damon and Emma left Stefan.

"Are you sure we're doing the right thing?" Emma asked Damon, knowing they were out of earshot.

"Yeah. He can't know what she is. He can't know what the both of them are. If it gets out, it'd be the ruin of us both."

Meanwhile at the hospital, Matt was sitting by Vicki's hospital bed.

"Vicki. Hey, it's okay. You're gonna be okay," said Matt when his sister woke up. "Don't try to talk, okay? You're fine."

"Vampire," she muttered before losing consciousness.


	3. Iridescent

It was early morning when Erica walked out of her room, ready to go to school. She saw Emma looking in a mirror.

"Hey, Aunt Em. What are you doing here?"

"Since your mom's out of town, she wanted me to run a few errands for her. Now, do I look adult? As in respectfully parental?"

"Depends on where you're going."

"Nathan's resident advisor wants to see Serena. I'm going in Seri's stead. Now, hair up or down?" Emma put her hair up.

"Sexy stewardess." Emma then let it fall. "Boozy housewife."

"Up it is. You're feisty today."

"I feel good, which is rare. So I've decided to go with it. Fly free, walk on sunshine, and all that stuff."

"Okay, I have to go. I just wanted your quick opinion. Oh, and don't forget huge house party at my beach house. Vampires, humans. The works. And you'll get to meet your godfather."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world. See you then."

Later, as Emma walked toward Nathan's dorm, Damon called her.

"Hey, what's up?" she answered.

"I've been watching Stefan all day. Have I mentioned how much I hate this? Can't we just kill him?"

"No, Damon. As much as you two hate each other, he's still your brother."

"Fine," Damon sighed. "While I have you on the phone, I heard an interesting bit of information from the vampire grapevine. Apparently, Sage has been researching the death of your family and they might not all exactly be dead."

"What are you talking about?"

"You remember how your brother had a penchant for incapacitation rather than just pure killing?"

"Yeah, Nik was a real bastard that way."

"Sage's heard rumors that the rest of your family may be locked in the tomb."

"What?"

"Yeah. I think we should open it and find out."

"Or we open it and it's a trap. How do you know Nik hasn't sent that rumor around to bait you?"

"He's been surprisingly quiet for years. I just think it's worth looking into. The comet's coming tonight. Doing this now will be our only opportunity in a long while."

"Alright," Emma acceded. "We'll talk about this some more later. I've got to go to a meeting. I'll see you at the beach house tonight."

"Love you."

"Love you too. Bye." After she hung up, Emma walked into the dormitory and met with Nathan's R.A.

"I'm concerned for Nathan. It's the third day of school and he's skipped three of his classes."

"Nathan's been having a rough time after his parent's divorce."

"I understand. How exactly are you related to the family?"

"I'm Nathan and Erica's godmother."

"Right. There any chance I could talk to his mother?"

"Serena is out of town and I assure you I'm fully capable of taking on her role. This isn't my first rodeo. Now three classes? Are you sure? That kind of hard to do."

"Not when you're on drugs. It's his attempt at coping, Mrs. Salvatore. And the signs are there. He's moody, withdrawn, argumentative, hung-over. Could there be any other relatives in the picture other than Serena and yourself?"

"Excuse me? I don't like what you're implying."

"I never asked if you liked it. I think I need to speak with Ms. Samadi." Emma finally snapped. She was never known for her patience. Her eyes glowing amethyst, she grabbed the college student by the neck and slammed him into the wall.

"Let me make myself quite clear, you incompetent child, I will be respected."

"You're-you're a vampire."

"Yes, I am. The Queen if you want to get technical. Now I will deal with Nathan, but if I have to come back here and deal with your impertinence again, I assure you, you will not have an enjoyable collegiate experience. Do you understand me?"

"I understand," he gulped.

"Good," Emma said cheerfully, reverting to her human appearance. "If that's all, I'll be on my way."

"Yeah," the human said as Emma left. As Emma walked across the quad, Stefan spotted her and came up to her.

"Hey, are you crazy!" Stefan yelled.

"What are you yammering about now, Stef?"

"You didn't compel her!"

"Ugh, you're still going on about the Donovan girl?"

"How stupid are you! If I hadn't heard from Matt that she thought she'd been attacked by a vampire, she never would have been compelled and we would have been in deep shit!"

"Well, you did compel her, didn't you?"

"Of course I did!"

"Good. Now, I really have more pressing business."

"No, we're going to talk about this. I know you. You're methodical. You do everything for a reason. Why'd you attack her? It doesn't make sense."

Emma heaved a sigh.

"I fed on her because I was hungry."

"You could have called a donor."

"I could have, but that girl really pisses me off. She knows a lot of vampires, Stefan. Didn't you ever wonder who was filtering names and addresses to the humans responsible for making the vampire meth?"

"It was Vicki?"

"Yes. I have the evidence if you'd like to see it and I have already received authorization from the Council to do with her as I see fit. Now, I really have to go. Oh, and don't forget about Damon and I's anniversary party at the beach house. Everyone's going to be there. Even though Damon and I are quite pissed at you, it'd be rude if you didn't show up. Buy me something pretty. 2,040 years of marriage is quite the milestone after all."

When Emma arrived back at the Salvatore Mansion, she saw Nathan there, picking up some papers for Salvatore-Samadi Events.

"Hey, I picked up a snack. Tacos. I had an urge for guacamole," Emma said.

"No, I'm good, thanks."

"Eat anyway. It's a ruse. I want to talk." Nathan started to leave. "Hey, you! Come. Sit." Nathan rolled his eyes and sat down. "When I went to college in the seventies, freshman year, I could eat my weight in nachos, with extra cheese. It was my munchie food whenever I got stoned."

"You get high?"

"Did. Past tense. But, yeah. Loved it. Anything to get a little distraction from life... reality. And it worked. For a while. Never lasts, though. Hey, I'm not saying I wouldn't love to rail back and kick it," said Emma as she opened the refrigerator door, "but…" Emma closed the door and realized Nathan had left when she wasn't looking. She sighed in irritation.

That night, Emma and Damon's anniversary party was in full swing on the beach when Erica arrived at the house. All the vampires had been very grateful to see their King and Queen together again and the love they shared for each was easily seen by all.

"You must be Erica," said Damon, walking up to the girl.

"And you must be Damon. I've heard a lot about you."

"Likewise. You can put gifts on the table outside."

"Actually, I just brought a check. I figured whatever I got Emma she'd just exchange so…"

"I like the way you think. Efficient. Come on. Let's get you a drink."

A few minutes later, Stefan entered the party and the room went silent.

"What's going on?" Erica whispered to one of the vampires.

"No one thought Stefan would come. It's rumored that he's responsible for separating Damon and Emma."

"Stefan, you're finally here," said Emma, walking up to her brother-in-law. She hugged him and whispered into his ear, "Hug me and look happy. We have appearances to uphold. We don't need the whole world knowing about our family drama." Stefan returned the hug and the chatter among the vampires began again when Damon shook his hand.

"This doesn't change anything, brother," he whispered.

"Got it," Stefan said tersely. After the party, Emma and Damon were the only ones left in the house.

"Did you like all your presents?" Damon asked as Emma entered the pool with him.

"Yes. They were very nice, but my best present tonight was you."

All night Damon had managed to control himself, but now he couldn't. Not when he could see the sincerity and pure love dripping from her words. He kissed her softly and as Emma wrapped her arms around his neck, her delicate hands sinking into his hair, not even the water could cool their passion as they kissed in the moon-bathed night.


	4. How It Starts

"Wow. This place is huge!" said Trevor, helping Rose out of the car after they passed through the gates to the Salvatore Family Compound. He was astounded by the place. Not only by its sheer size, but also the grounds. Next to the paved driveway was a vast front yard with a fountain. Two black dogs, hellhounds, sat by the fountain, guarding the grounds. From the stain-glassed windows decorated with the Salvatore family crest and from all along the grounds you could see the town of Santa Barbara.

"Yeah, Emma always did have good style. Looks like she modeled it after the villa in Tuscany. Let's go see if anyone's home." The couple walked through the marble entryway leading to the front door.

"The door's open," said Trevor.

"Typical Emma," Rose sighed, rolling her eyes. They walked through the glass door into the marble foyer. A glass chandelier hung from the ceiling and two portraits of Damon and Emma were hanging at the top of the curved staircase, which led to the bedrooms of the manor. A mural of rural Tuscany was painted on the back-side of the staircase.

"Brother? Emma?" Rose called out.

"We're in the living room," Emma replied airily. Rose and Trevor walked into the glass-paneled living room and saw Emma and Damon feeding voraciously on Vicki Donovan's neck.

"Oh, sorry. We didn't mean to interrupt your breakfast," said Rose.

"It's fine. We were just about done anyway. Damon, dear, your sister's here." Damon finally separated from Vicki's blood.

"Be a good girl and go to your room. Sleep. Don't come out until one of us comes to get you," Damon compelled. Vicki then walked up the stairs to her room.

"Ah, we don't get a taste?" Rose asked as Emma licked the blood off Damon's chin.

"She's pretty drained. Maybe tomorrow. We have other donors available if you're peckish," said Damon.

"Damon, this is Trevor."

"I'm going to go get the rest of the bags," said Trevor before leaving.

"Isn't he sweet?"

"Who is he?" Damon asked, suspicious.

"You know who."

"I don't."

"He's my, um, well I'm too old to use the term boyfriend. It's utterly ridiculous. He's a… special friend."

"Boyfriend. Rose, you didn't mention this."

"Didn't I? Emma, you look wonderful," said Rose, hugging her sister-in-law.

"And you Rose are absolutely glowing."

"Rose-Marie," Damon scolded.

"Damon, please don't be boring," Rose sighed. "I'll explain later."

"What a fantastic house," said Trevor, walking back in.

"I got it," said Damon, taking the bags Trevor carried in up the stairs.

"Donors anyone?" Emma asked.

"Yeah. We're starving," said Trevor.

After a quick bite to eat, the four of them went into town as the house needed groceries and Emma needed to pick up some supplies for the business. Serena met them at the farmer's market.

"I can't believe you tried to put their bags in separate rooms," Emma whispered to Damon in the fruits section while Rose and Trevor looked at the vegetables.

"I was just kidding."

"They are adults."

"Something about this guy doesn't seem right. You know how they met? He was installing her new alarm system in Vancouver."

"He seems sweet and charming to me."

"Yeah, yeah. If you like that sort of thing."

"What is this really about?"

"I don't know. It's just…he's too nice. I'm not buying it."

"Oh, cynical. Please don't tell me you're going to obsess over this."

"What if he's a gold-digger? What if he's after her money?"

"This is a class thing, isn't it?"

"You know me better than that."

"Admit it. You don't think he's good enough for your sister."

"It's not that."

"What then?"

"I don't think he's good enough for my sister." Emma rolled her eyes and walked off.

"Alright, what's up with you and Trevor?" Serena asked Damon, joining the sulking man.

"What are you talking about?"

"You haven't spoken two words to the guy."

"It's nothing."

"Aww, Damon has a heart. Does it bother you that him and your sister are doing the horizontal tango?"

"Hey, hey, hey! I don't need the image."

"He seems like a perfectly nice guy."

"Then how come he's checking out that blonde who is clearly not my sister?" Damon asked, seeing Trevor speaking with a woman giving out samples.

"Because, Damon, that blonde is a Nordic goddess with huge…pastries. A priest would be forgiven for glancing."

"That's not a glance. That's a leer. Come on."

After gathering the groceries and paying for them, Serena left to manage an event and Damon dropped Emma off at the business. Rose and Trevor had gone to take the groceries home since Damon had a few errands he needed to run.

"Seriously, where is Emma?" Bonnie asked Caroline, looking out the store window.

"I don't know. It's not like her to be late." Emma then arrived in Damon's car. Before Emma left the car, the two vampires engaged in a passionate kiss.

"Bye," he said.

"Bye. I'll see you for lunch. Be nice to Trevor." Damon rolled his eyes before taking off. Emma then entered the store. "Alright, girls, back to work. He's mine." Bonnie and Caroline scrambled away from the window and back to their desks. Emma walked into the kitchen in the back of the store and dumped the bakery supplies she had purchased on the table.

"Hey," said Erica, walking in through the back door.

"Hey."

"Why were you late?"

"Damon's sister came for a visit. We needed groceries."

"That's nice. I didn't know he had a sister."

"Two, both younger. It's so cute. He's all twitchy about Rose's boyfriend."

"Yeah, Mom told me she ran into him. Said he seemed like a nice guy."

"He is, but it's Damon's little sister. He's always going to worry about her. She's a little impulsive."

"I love impulsive. So what was the deal with you and Stefan at the anniversary party?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I've heard the rumors, Aunt Em."

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to listen to rumors?" Erica sent her a look. "Fine. Damon and I are a bit at odds with Stefan."

"At odds is putting it a bit lightly don't you think? I heard he separated you two."

"Yeah. He did. Bloody idiot. Why did he have to transfer his affections for my sister to me?" Emma muttered.

"Your sister? I didn't know you had a sister."

"I came from a big family. Four brothers, two sisters. I'm currently not in contact with any of them. Stefan was kind of in love with my twin sister, Katherine. She disappeared and ever since Stefan has proclaimed to be in love with me. What a load of crap."

"Do you want him to be in love you?"

"Hell no! Trust me. One Salvatore's enough trouble," Emma smirked playfully.

"What was Katherine like?"

"Complicated, selfish, and at times not very kind, but very seductive and she knew it. She was kind of a brat now that I think about it, but she was my sister. I heard you tried out for cheerleading at the college. Nathan said you looked miserable. Is he wrong?"

"I used to love it in high school. It was fun. Things are different this year. Everything that used to matter doesn't anymore. Not since Dad left."

"So don't let it. Quit, move on. Problem solved. Ta-da."

"Some things could matter again."

"Maybe. But...it seems a little unrealistic to me. Now to work. We need to finish the cake for the Founder's party."

"Right," said Erica.

Across town, Damon was attending a Council meeting at Founder's Hall.

"You must be Damon," said Sheriff Liz Forbes, meeting Damon in the foyer of the building. "I'm Sheriff Forbes. I've heard a lot of things about you."

"All good, I hope."

"Mostly," Liz smiled. "I hear Emma won't be able to attend the meeting today."

"Unfortunately. Business is really booming for her and my sister just came to town so I thought the least I could do is take one thing off her plate," said Damon as the two walked into a meeting room.

"Liz, who's your friend?" asked a man, approaching the two.

"Mayor Lockwood, this is Damon Salvatore, Emma's husband."

"Ah. Pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise. I knew your ancestor. George. We were good friends until he passed away." The mayor nodded and sat down at the head of the table as did everyone else in the room.

"Let's get down to business. Everyone if you don't already know, this is Damon Salvatore, Emma's husband. He'll be taking her place on the Council. We have two things on the agenda today. First, the Founder's Party. This year we'll be celebrating the treaty we formed with the vampries. As such a variety of old heirlooms will be on display. One of them the Rings of Athena and Apollo." A piece of paper was passed out to all the members. Damon was shocked at what was placed in front of him. An image of the rings, the literal keys to opening the tomb. "Security is in place for all the items. Damon, has Emma finished all the preparations for the party?"

"As far as I know, yes. She's finishing up the cake today and catering will arrive at three tomorrow. And all staff will be on-site early tomorrow for set-up. You want to know anything more detailed then that, you'll have to call her. I let Emma run the business however she likes. It's good for her to have a project that's just hers."

"I understand. That's good news."

"Now what's this second order of business?" Damon asked.

"Um. The Council is concerned, mildly, with what you're doing about the Donovan girl."

"We were given full authority to do whatever we wished with her," Damon sighed.

"We just want to make sure it's done quietly."

"Translation. I don't want it making the press and lowering my chances of re-election," Damon dead-panned.

"You're quite blunt, Mr. Salvatore."

"It's a gift. As well as this." He pulled a check out of his jacket pocket. "I believe this will assuage your re-election jitters." Mayor Lockwood looked at the check.

"This is a lot of money!"

"Really? Didn't even put a dent in our bank account. Use it how you see fit."

"What about the girl?" Liz asked.

"Emma and I are still considering what to do with her. She committed a very serious crime against us. Right now she's in perfect health at our family compound. I had thought about killing her, but that's just such a waste. We might turn her or just compel her to leave town. We haven't decided yet." The Council nodded warily.

That night, Emma was walking down Erica's street when she noticed Damon jumping off a tree in Erica's backyard.

"I've been looking everywhere for you," said Emma. "You forgot about lunch."

"Sorry. I got side-tracked." Damon looked back at the house. "I just wanted to see her. She's asleep."

"Damon, we left that life behind a long time ago."

"I know. Doesn't mean I don't miss it. It's surprising how much I see of you in her. It shocks me."

"Well, I've been her godmother for a long time. Some of me was bound to rub off on her."

"It's more than that and you know it." Emma blushed. "The Council's getting antsy about what we're going to do with Vicki."

"Let them stew. It'll make them think twice about selling us out."

"Emma, you know as well as I, that anxiety in humans leads to rash decisions. They might try to make a move against us if we don't resolve this."

"We will. In due time. The humans will learn that we are not to be trifled with."


	5. Beautiful Things

Emma smiled as she felt kisses trail from her face to her neck and collarbone. With a soft groan, her eyes opened as she ran her hand through a mop of black hair.

"Good morning," she whispered.

"Good morning, love." Damon placed a kiss on her lips and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Can we stay here forever?"

"I don't think so. You'd tempt me too much."

"Haven't you heard? A little temptation is a good thing." Before Damon could move his hand away from her face, Emma took his wrist and bit down as her leg moved seductively up and down his back. He gasped in surprise.

"Emma," he moaned as she pulled harder at his blood, her eyes glowing amethyst. "You bad girl," he gasped into her shoulder after she released his wrist.

"You like bad girls," Emma smiled, bucking her hips into his erection. He groaned at the contact. She was so wet.

"You're really asking for it, aren't you?"

"You know I never ask, Damon. I take. Don't tell me you don't want it. I can feel how hard you are."

"You're trying to seduce me," he whispered into her ear. Emma shivered.

"I wasn't aware I had to try."

"Oh, you don't, darling. It comes to you naturally." His mouth then connected with her pulse point. Emma sighed as he licked at the skin. Her leg moved up his torso and he hiked it up, his nails digging up and down into the skin. Emma moaned at the pleasurable pain. Damon groaned as their hips pressed together. He removed his shirt she had decided to sleep in, revealing her in only a small pair of black panties.

Emma moaned as he massaged her breasts with his mouth and hands. As he distracted her, he sent one hand down to her panties. She was soaked. He smirked. He slid the scrap of material off her perfect thighs and as his torturous kissing moved down to her center, the throbbing inside Emma grew more and more intense.

"Damon, please," Emma begged as he kissed her thighs, purposely skipping her dripping slit.

"What? You torture me and I can't torture you? You were naughty. You deserve punishment." In that moment, Damon nipped at the skin of her femoral artery and sank his fangs in.

"I'm sorry. I just want you so bad," Emma pleaded as he drank. "Damon, please."

"Please what?" Damon asked, licking his lips of her blood.

"Fuck me. Please."

"Well, since you asked so nicely." Within seconds, his mouth and tongue pressed against her center.

"Oh, Damon! Yes!" she screamed, her back arching, her hands tangled in his hair pushing his mouth deeper into her. As the coil within her grew tighter and tighter, she ground her hips. Needing more of her ambrosia, Damon moved her leg onto his shoulder and Emma yelled in completion. As she came down from the edge of ecstasy, Damon moved her onto her chest and his lips trailed up the base of her spine to her neck.

"You are a goddess," he growled as he brushed her long silky hair away and entered her swiftly. It was so sudden Emma let out a wordless gasp at his first thrusts. Emma's nails dug into her pillow, ripping the fabric. "You're so fucking tight, so good. God tell me you're almost there."

"Just a little more. Oh, fuck me." Winding her hair around his hand, he hammered into her, harder and harder until they both came, screaming and seeing spots. Damon chuckled when he pulled out of her.

"Oh, it's a good thing we don't have neighbors." Emma laughed as well.

"We'd probably have the cops beating down our door if we did."

"Shower?"

"Shower," Emma nodded. "Then help me pick a dress to where to the party tonight."

After a shower, Damon lounged on the bed, reading a book, while Emma tried on dresses.

"No yellow. Jaundice. Go for the blue."

"The blue? Really? You don't think it's too uppity?" Emma asked, looking at the turquoise lace dress.

"Emma, amica mea _(my love)_, you could never be uppity." Emma smiled. "What's so special about this Bella girl? Edward's so whipped."

"Yeah, he's kind of a wuss. Caroline made me buy them to read. I'm kind of regretting it now. I miss Anne Rice. She was so on it."

"Speaking of Caroline…" Emma turned and looked at him. He had that sheepish expression on his face that always made Emma know he'd done something she probably wouldn't approve of.

"No, no! You didn't!"

"Now Emmalyne, you haven't even heard what I'm going to say."

"I know I'm not going to like it. And you only use my full name when you know you've done something bad. Please tell me she's not the person you are using to get your hands on the Apollo and Artemis Rings."

"Okay, I won't tell you that."

"Damon," Emma warned.

"I needed an in. She knows the security detail through her mother. And I may or may not have partaken in a little liquid refreshment from her."

"Damon! She's my friend." Emma sighed. Her husband, the eternal flirt.

"She's the one who suggested it. Hell, she practically threw herself at me. If I hadn't taken some of her blood, some other vampire would have just drained her and her body would be rotting in some alley. At least I have control and compelled her to forget it."

"Is that all you did?" Damon looked back to his book. "Damon, don't lie to me."

"Me? I'd never do that," he said playfully. Emma threw the book out of his hands, straddled him in only her bra and underwear, and pinned his arms to the bed.

"What did you do that has you so smug?"

"You'll like it."

"Spill, my devilishly handsome meam viro meo _(my husband)_."

"Caroline mentioned that she's very good at getting her little nose where it doesn't belong. So I'm having her maneuver Erica in a direction where she won't trust Stefan."

"Oh, you are very devious," Emma hummed in delight.

"I am," he replied, flipping Emma onto her back and kissing her neck.

"And you can be very sweet when you want to be."

"Yes, I can be sweet."

"You're forgiven. Just as long as you didn't sleep with her. You didn't sleep with her, did you?"

"And incur your wrath? No," he scoffed. "Besides, why would I settle for a human when I have the vampire I love?"

"Good answer. Now kiss me." And he did. Again and again.

When Emma arrived at the office, she saw one of her employees, Jenna Sommers, watching the news.

"Scum ball. Scum bucket," Jenna muttered.

"Who are you talking to?" Emma asked.

"Him," said Jenna, nodding to the TV.

"The news guy?"

"Also known as Logan 'Scum' Fell. I ever tell you why I moved away from Santa Barbara ten years ago?"

"Oh, no way," Emma laughed. "You and him? He's cute."

"He is not cute. There's nothing cute about him."

"Alright, come on. We've got to prep for the Founder's Party."

Meanwhile, at Erica's house, Erica and Bonnie were getting ready for the Founder's Party.

"What's up? You've been unusually quiet," said Erica.

"I'll tell you in the morning. I don't want to ruin the night."

"Bonnie, out with it."

"Ok, but it has to go in the vault, because Caroline will kill me if it gets back to Damon that she squealed. Apparently Stefan has a very interesting back story."

"Uh-huh."

"Did you know Damon and Stefan dated Emma at the same time?"

"You're kidding me."

"Yeah, they both dated her, only she chose Damon. And that drove Stefan mad, so he did horrible things to try and break them up. He manipulated Emma. He filled her head with all these lies until finally it worked, and she turned against Damon. And supposedly the story behind their reuniting was that Stefan faked Emma's death and told Emma Damon killed himself. Talk about a psycho."

"Damon told Caroline this?"

"Yeah."

"Sounds like one person's side of the story, meaning Damon's."

"What reason does he have to lie?" Bonnie asked.

At the Salvatore Mansion, Damon walked into Stefan's room, looking through his ties as his brother laced his shoes.

"Do they still wear ties at this thing?" Damon asked.

"Why are you even going?"

"Haven't you heard? I'm the guest of honor. This thing wouldn't have gone off without my generous contribution."

"Considering current events, I think it's better if we don't draw attention to ourselves."

"I agree. So you should stay here. My goodness, I've driven you to drink."

"Can't seem to rid myself of you. What else am I supposed to do, besides go about living my life?"

"Go about living my life. See, therein lies your eternal struggle. You're dead, dude. Get over it. It's cool not growing old. I like being the eternal stud."

"Yes, being a 2,050 year old teenager has been the height of my happiness."

"You cracked a funny, Stefan. I should have a drink to celebrate." Damon smelled the drink and dumped it on the floor. "I admire your effort, Stefan. Pouring yourself a drink then spiking the bottle with vervain. I'm not some drunk sorority chick. You can't roofie me. I learned from the best. But I can't help but feel a little used. I thought we were having a moment. I have to go to the party angry. Who knows what I'll do?"

A few minutes later, Damon met Emma on the front lawn of the party. He greeted her with a kiss.

"Ready to go in?" he asked.

"Yeah. Everything's set up."

"Be careful tonight. Stefan tried to vervain me."

"What? Where? When?"

"Relax. Don't cause a scene."

"I'm going to kill him."

"Maybe later."

"Emma! You look smashing," said Carol.

"Thank you, Carol. You remember my husband, Damon."

"Yes," said Carol as they walked into the mansion. "I hear you're going to be taking over the children's unit of the hospital, Mr. Salvatore."

"I am."

"I didn't realize you were a doctor."

"In New York, I ran a hospital and it seemed such a waste to not use my skills here. It's something rather close to me," said Damon, genuinely. "I've been looking forward to this party for quite a while."

"Well, enjoy."

"Let's get a drink."

Later, Emma watched Erica walk through the exhibit. She saw the girl stop at a particular artifact. She smiled and walked over to her goddaughter.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Emma asked, looking at an old dagger. "My father gave that to me. Killed my first deer with it."

"You miss him?"

"Yeah. My father was a right bastard, but he was still my father and in his own way, he cared for me."

"Kind of like Stefan, huh?"

"Erica, don't start," Emma warned.

"His eyes haven't left you the entire night."

"So? He can rot in hell for all I care."

"What's this?" Erica asked, seeing a sterling cup in a case.

"Ah. That is the bonding cup Damon and I used at our wedding. In the ceremony, we would both place our blood in the cup, let it mix, and then drink it. It mates vampires for eternity. It's mostly symbolic. If you really want a blood bond, you have to drink often from your mate. It's sad to think that my bond with Damon has waned so much since Russia." As the two wandered around the exhibit, Damon walked upstairs and met with Caroline.

"I bought you a few minutes. The guard's getting a drink."

"Good," Damon smirked as he entered the portion of the exhibit with more valuable items. "Ok, just a minute. Stand right...there." He placed her in front of the doorway and searched through the collection.

"Um, you're not supposed to touch." His eyes glowing red, the lock to the case sparked and melted away. He grabbed the two rings and placed them in his pocket. "What are those?"

"Something very important."

"Well, what's it for?"

"Never you mind."

"Well, you can't just steal it."

"It's not stealing if it's mine. Now forget I had you do this." Damon then walked away.

Later in the evening, Erica entered the powder room and saw Caroline there.

"Hey," said Erica before she noticed something on Caroline's neck. "What is that?" Erica lifted up her scarf.

"Don't!"

"Oh god, Caroline. What happened? Who bit you?"

"It's nothing."

"That is not nothing! That's a vampire mark. Who fed from you?"

"Nobody. It's nothing. My mom would kill me if she ever found out."

"You've been hanging out with Damon an awful lot. Did he do this to you?"

"No! Of course not! Just leave me alone, okay, Erica?" Erica walked outside and saw Damon. She pushed him.

"There is something seriously wrong with you. You stay away from Caroline or I will go straight to her mother, the sheriff. You got it? Stay away from her," Erica warned. Emma approached Damon.

"What the hell was that?" Emma asked, concerned. Damon spotted Caroline exiting the bathroom.

"I'm going to find out."

Meanwhile, Erica walked up to Stefan.

"You're completely right about Damon," she said.

"What did he do?"

"There are bruises all over Caroline's body. Bite marks, and he has her all confused and messed up in the head. You don't look surprised."

"Um...I'm handling it."

"Handling it? Stefan, you should be having him arrested."

"He's not human, Erica. We do things differently. I don't expect you to understand."

"I don't understand anything, Stefan. So why don't you just clear it up for me?"

"Look, there are things that you don't know, ok? Things that I want to tell you, but I can't. And I may never be able to. And I just need you to trust me."

"Trust is earned. I can't just magically hand it over." Stefan noticed Damon dragging Caroline out into the yard.

"I'm so sorry. I have to go."

In the yard, Caroline turned to face Damon.

"Don't! She took it off and I got flustered, ok? I didn't know what to say. But I swear, ok, I did not tell her. I just told her that you didn't mean to hurt me." Damon looked like he was about to strangle her, but he took a deep breath.

"You make me crazy, you know that? It's okay. I forgive you."

"I swear I didn't say—"

"Shh, shh, shh. It's okay. Emma won't be happy about this, but... I am so over you now." He bit her and fell to the ground.

"What the hell?" Damon asked.

"I knew I couldn't spike your drink... so I spiked your new blood bag." The two disappeared and when Caroline woke up on the lawn, she saw the two rings Damon had stolen. After hiding Damon away, Stefan met up with Erica.

"You scared me," said Erica, seeing Stefan in her bedroom.

"I'm sorry to do this, but to get to her I don't have a choice."

"What are…" Suddenly, Stefan stuck a syringe in her neck filled with a paralytic agent.

Meanwhile, Emma arrived home and called Damon's cell. She got his voicemail.

"Hey, where are you? I didn't see you at the party after we talked and what happened with Caroline? Call me back. I'm worried." After kicking her shoes off, her phone rang. "Damon?"

"Guess again."

"Stefan? Why do you have Damon's phone?"

"You're going to listen very carefully because I will not repeat myself."

"Where is Damon?"

"Right here. Although he's seen better days."

"What did you do, Stefan!"

"I have Damon and I have Erica so you're put in a very precarious position, Emma. You're going to do exactly as I say."

"Or what?"

"Or they die."


	6. Coming Undone

"What do you want?"

"I think you know what I want. I want control of the coven."

"Ha," Emma scoffed. "What? You think I can just snap my fingers and they'll listen to your orders? Think again, Steffy. They'll know something's up and will rip into you."

"They were pretty easy to manipulate the last time."

"Only because they thought I was blinded by grief. The situation is completely different now."

"Which is why you're going to give me the Amulet of Authority. I know you have it."

Emma sighed. The Amulet of Authority. She had discovered it right after she and Damon had been turned into vampires. It was a red gem that could bend the will of others to the users' desires. Emma had never used it herself. It was too tempting, not to mention the magic that had been used to create it was dangerous. Who knew how it could affect the user? Witches and their incessant need for balance. So she had hidden it. Not even Damon knew where it was.

"I know you've hidden it and I know Damon doesn't know where it is. I already asked," Stefan continued.

"How do I know you even have Damon and Erica?"

"Well, he isn't home, is he?"

"He could be out hunting or drinking."

"Fine. You want proof. I'll give you proof." Emma was horrified when she heard a piercing scream. Damon.

"What the hell did you do!" she screamed.

"I just dislocated his arm from his shoulder. Don't worry. It'll heal in a few hours. I've pumped him with vervain so he's going nowhere anytime soon."

"Touch him again and I promise you I will reign down an eternity of hell upon you! And I'm very good at reigning down hell," Emma spat.

"You have twenty-four hours. After that I kill Erica. One hour after that all you'll have left is the staked corpse of your beloved. If I were you, I'd be quick."

Emma growled, a look of pure fury on her face, as she hung up on Stefan. She saw a glass lying on the wet bar and threw it against the wall. She then took her phone and dialed a number.

"How fast can you get to Santa Barbara? I need a wingman. Twenty minutes? Good. Meet me at the coven house. I'll fill you in when you get here." Emma ended the call and flashed upstairs, changing her clothes. "ROSE!" she boomed.

"What is it? Why are you yelling? And why do you have your grumpy face on?" Rose asked sleepily, Trevor trailing behind her.

"I'm going to kill your brother."

"Which one?"

"Which do you think? Stefan. Get dressed. Both of you. We're going hunting." Rose nodded and within seconds the two vampires were dressed. Emma walked out of the mansion, her coat fluttering in the wind, vengeance in her eyes. She turned to the two hellhounds guarding the grounds. "Veni! _(Come.)_" Sensing Emma's desire for bloodshed, the two black dogs growled and transformed into twice their size. A line of red hair sprouted from their spine, their eyes glowed gold, and a ball of fire ignited on their tails. In a flash of supernatural speed, the five of them disappeared into the night.

When they arrived at the coven house, rain began to pelt down on them. Out of the corner of her eye, Emma spotted a redhead leaning against a tree.

"You're early," Emma said.

"You sounded pretty pissed so I decided to run it."

"It's good to see you, Sage."

"You too. Hello, Rose."

"Sister."

"Now what's Stefan done that's got you in such a foul mood?"

"He's abducted him."

"Damon," Sage scoffed. "I doubt that. Brother would beat Stefan to a pulp before he got anywhere near him."

"I don't know how he got him, but to be honest, I don't really care. All that matters is that he has him and a human under my care. He wants the Amulet of Authority."

"Please tell me you aren't going to give it to him."

"Of course not. I'm not a bloody idiot. I don't know where Stefan's been staying since I kicked him out. Last time I had this problem I questioned the other vampires in town and they knew where he was."

"Well, let's get to it then, shall we? We aren't getting any younger," Sage smirked. "I can't wait to rip Stefan a new one." Emma chuckled. Her and Sage had been best friends forever. Out of all the Salvatore siblings, Sage was most like Damon. Maybe that was why they got along so well.

"Zeus, Ares,vade _(go)._" The two hellhounds howled and burst down the door, landing on two vampires in the foyer. Emma, Sage, Rose, and Trevor entered the house at vampire speed. Rose and Trevor had two vampires pinned to the walls. "WHERE IS HE!" Emma's eyes glowed a burning amethyst. The vampires cowered in fear.

"She asked you a question! Speak!" Sage yelled.

"He said he'd kill us all if we told you," the vampire Rose had pinned gritted out.

"You're in quite the precarious position then," Rose replied, her English accent emerging. "Because if you don't tell us, we'll massacre you all."

"Damn you Original vampires." Rose banged the vampire's head against the wall.

"Where is Stefan!"

"The synthetic blood station. That's where he's keeping him. Last I heard that's where he was crashing."

"Under no circumstances will you tell Stefan we were here," Emma ordered.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Cleaners!" a group of vampires in black BDUs emerged from the second floor. "Come! I've got a job for you. It's time we taught Stefan some manners."

Meanwhile, in the back room of a factory-like building, Damon groaned, popping his shoulder back into place. He moved his arms and grimaced in pain. He was tied up with vervain soaked ropes.

"Oh, I'm going to kill him," he moaned. "Where is my ring?"

"Won't be needing it anymore," said Stefan from the doorway.

"How long have I been here?"

"Not long."

"What are you doing?"

"You're what I like to call leverage. Well, you and her." Damon moved his head and saw Erica knocked out.

"I knew the Ripper was twisted, but this is pretty sick even for you. She's just a little girl, brother. Let her go."

"I don't think so."

"Do you really think this plan of yours is going to work? I'm much stronger than you."

"You always have been. But you're not stronger than the vervain. And we both know it." Stefan shut the door and locked it and Damon leaned his head back on the wall. He heard Erica moan.

"Damon?" Erica asked, waking up.

"Yeah, it's me."

"You bastard. What did you do to me?"

"Hey. Watch your language, young lady. And if you hadn't noticed, I'm tied up too. If you want to blame someone, blame my idiot brother."

"Stefan. He did this to me. What does he want?"

"I don't know."

"I'm assuming you have a plan to get us out of here."

"I'm working on it." Damon struggled to escape the ropes, but it only burned more.

"You don't have a plan do you?"

"I'm working on it."

"Oh, this is bad."

"Just relax. I can't concentrate with your yammering." Damon closed his eyes and tried to send a message to Emma through their telepathic link.

"What are you doing!"

"I said shut up. I'm trying to contact Emma. Damnit. We haven't exchanged blood enough. The bond's too weak."

"This is your fault."

"How is this my fault!"

"If you hadn't abused Caroline…"

"Oh enough with the blonde! She frickin' asked for it."

"You jerk! You hurt her!" Damon rolled his eyes.

"Erica, she literally asked for it."

"Wait, you mean…"

"Yes. She was one tequila shot away from getting bitten by a new vampire. I saved her. Most newbies don't know how to make the experience painless. I happen to not be new or inexperienced. I fed off her once and made her forget. That's all. Well, and I may have compelled her to do me a few favors."

"Ew! You're married!"

"Not that kind! I needed her to run a few errands. She happened to be closer to Stefan than I was. I wanted to know what he's up to and I wanted you to stay away from him. If you hadn't noticed, my brother doesn't always operate with a full deck."

"Let me guess. Due to Emma?"

"Emma. It's always Emma. Always has been, always will be. Stefan's good at holding grudges. He's still pissed I took her away from him when we were human."

"What? I thought Stefan had a thing for Katherine and was projecting on Emma."

"It's more like the other way around. How much do you know about vampires?"

"The basics. Most of the legends are crap. You can only walk in the sun with daylight rings. You need blood to survive. And you can compel humans."

"Now forget everything you just said."

"What?"

"When it comes to vampires as old as Emma and I, all that stuff gets thrown out the window."

"What do you mean?"

"My family and Emma's. We're not normal vampires. We're Originals."

"Originals."

"Yeah. The Original Families. The lines from which all vampires are descended. We have very few weaknesses and we're very powerful. There's a reason why we're feared by most vampires."

"What does this have to do with Stefan?"

"Stefan hates me for two reasons. One, he thinks I stole Emma away from him and two, he holds me partially responsible for the turning of the Salvatore Family. It all started in Rome when I first met Emma."

_27, BC. Rome_

After the defeat of Cleopatra and Mark Antony, the Roman Empire had arisen, having been birthed by the cunning Mikaelson Clan and led by their brave emperor, Mikael. As the empire continued to expand due to the military genius of Princess Emmalyne Mikaelson, a contingent of the Gauls who had formerly sacked Rome came to the city to form an alliance. The contingent included their leader, King Damon Salvatore.

"King Salvatore, it's good to see that the Gauls have changed their opinion of Rome," said Mikael, approaching Damon at the entrance to the palace.

"Yes, well. You'll have to forgive my father. He still clings to the old ways." As the two men walked through the palace gates, a beautiful figure walking in the gardens caught Damon's eye. Dark wavy brown hair cascaded down her black and she was draped in the most beautiful blue silks and richest jewelry. The woman met his gaze, slightly smiled, and then walked away. The first thing he realized when he witnessed the beauty was how much he wanted her.

"I see my daughter has caught your eye." Damon floundered as he realized he'd been caught.

"I…uh…didn't realize you had a daughter."

"Three as a matter of fact. That is my eldest, Emmalyne."

"Ah."

That night, he gained a formal introduction with the princess and the terms of the treaty were settled. The Gauls would receive the hand of two of the princesses. Damon would have the hand of Princess Katerina while Emma would be given to his younger brother, Stefan.

When Emma went to retire that evening, she encountered Katerina in the hallway in a red dress. Emma was absolutely horrified that Stefan was to be her husband. She would have much rather preferred the dangerous, dark Damon.

"Hello, sister."

"Katerina," Emma nodded. "I don't believe red is quite your color."

"Damon had no problem with it." Emma sneered. "Oh, I'm sorry. Were you interested in him? You should have spoken to me about it before I told Father you fancied Stefan." Emma wanted to throttle her sister. Ever since they'd been born they'd always been in competition with each other. Emma knew for a fact her sister didn't like Damon. She was just doing this out of spite.

"Try to please him. If you can that is," Emma replied icily before leaving.

_Present Day_

"So Stefan was to marry Emma…even though she didn't love him," Erica surmised.

"It was a different time back then. Things worked differently. What Stefan wants, Stefan usually gets. But I couldn't stand to see such a beautiful, fiery woman restrained by his dishwater dull…"

"I get it," said Erica.

"A few months later, I requested a change to the terms of the treaty and Stefan was given Katerina and I Emma. He never forgave me for that, but…I loved her. I still love her."

"So Stefan was upset."

"That's the thing about Salvatores. We don't get mad. We get even. It's funny really. Emma and I have been ripped apart so many times, but in the end, we always find each other. It was meant to be. It's a shame Stefan can't see past his jealousy to see that. He always was a spoiled brat."

Erica looked down at her hands. Their story. It was so beautiful, yet tragic at the same time. Damon was just a man who wanted to be loved. He'd never realized that the love he held for this one woman would destroy the relationship he had with his brother.

"So why does he hold you responsible for turning?"

"That's a story for another time. I need to rest. I'm getting weaker." Damon closed his eyes. "I will say one thing though and listen up because I don't say this often. I'm sorry. This is family business and you should have never gotten dragged into it."

"You're my godfather and Emma's my godmother. I'm family whether you want to admit or not." Damon chuckled and winced. "Try to rest."

Meanwhile, outside the factory, a Cleaner team was surveilling the building.

"What do you have?" Emma asked, approaching them.

"Check it," said Sage, looking at a monitor in the surveillance van. "One human and two vampire heat signatures. Looks like Damon and Erica Samadi are being held in a stock room. Stefan's in one of the offices. We'll raid it on your signal."

"No! Our first priority is getting Damon and Erica out of there. I don't want any human casualties. We don't need the bad press right now. You have a briefcase?"

"Yeah." The vampire pulled a weapons case out of a van. Emma opened it and removed the sniper rifle.

"This'll do. I'm going to draw him out. Once I've got him distracted, Rose and Trevor will lead a Cleaner team into the building. First objective is to get Damon and Erica out. After that, raid the offices. You're with me. I don't think Stefan could have pulled this off alone."

"You think he's working for somebody?" Sage asked as Emma took a pair of binoculars and looked over the factory.

"Possibly."

"How do you know that?"

"Woman's intuition. Or you know the five Aston Martins that have parked outside the building." Emma smirked and handed him the binoculars.

"Whoa. That's Dominic Vargas," said Sage, seeing a blond man exit the car. "He's Old World."

"But not old enough to take me on. I should have known. Dominic is pure slime. Used to work for my brother."

"They're moving into the factory."

"Change of plans. We deal with them first. Dominic's ruthless. He won't hesitate to kill Damon or Erica if he has too. Have the teams suit up, put them in a perimeter around the compound, but not close enough to be seen. When they're done, I'll call Stefan. And you and I will go in." Half an hour later, Rose and Trevor were ready with the Cleaners. Sage nodded at Emma to make the call. After two dials, a raspy voice picked up Stefan's phone.

"Well, if it isn't the queen."

"Dominic, why am I not surprised? You were always as vile as Nik."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"It's not. I presume you're the one who wants the amulet. I have it."

"Come to the factory on Ocean Avenue."

"I'm already here. And no, you're going to come outside to me."

"Fine." He ended the call. Sage and Emma entered through the gates into the large courtyard of the factory. Emma was shocked when she saw Dominic and his entourage bring out a bloody Damon and Erica, who was relatively unharmed.

"You bastard. You're going to pay for touching my husband," Emma growled.

"Original or not, there's ten of us and two of you," said a female vampire.

"Young vampires. So arrogant," Sage said.

"I suppose we'll have to teach you the meaning of the saying 'Don't cross an Original,'" Emma added.

"Come now, Emmalyne. Let's be civilized about this. You give me the amulet and I'll release your husband and your pet human."

"What!" Stefan yelled. "You said I was getting Emma."

"Shut up." Emma shook her head. There were so many flaws with Dominic's plan it made her want to throw up. First of all, never, _never_, try to include Stefan in a plan. He always let his morality get in the way.

"I'm getting bored, Em," said Sage. "Can we kill them now?"

"Why not?" Suddenly, Emma's eyes glowed amethyst and the metal fence surrounding the factory began to shake. The vampires grew nervous.

"What's going on?" Dominic asked.

"Like I said. Never cross an Original."

"Erica, duck!" Damon yelled, realizing what Emma was doing. Suddenly, bolts of lighting shot from the fence and hit the vampires. Damon and Erica had hit the ground just in time to miss it. As if on cue, the Cleaners raided the facility and evacuated Erica from the fight. Emma had moved behind Dominic and pulled him in a vice grip, her long fangs unleashed.

"No one moves or I rip his head off," she ordered. Dominic's vampires hesitated.

"What are you doing just standing there, you bloody idiots! Kill them all!" With the quick snap of her wrists, Emma pulled his head off just as the other vampires attacked. Sage and the Cleaners waded through the vampires, slicing through them like butter. Emma preoccupied herself with removing the vervain ropes on Damon, ignoring the pain.

"You're an idiot," Damon muttered. "I could have gotten myself out of this."

"Yeah, cause you were doing such a good job. Don't be stupid. You've saved me countless times. It's about time I returned the favor."

"Emma…"

"We can argue about this later. We have vampires to kill and we still need to talk about the-" Emma choked when she felt a stake enter her back. She coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground.

"Emma! No!" Damon yelled, horrified. Emma growled and reached for the stake. She painfully wrenched it out of her back and threw it into the stomach of the vampire that had attacked her.

"Ow. That hurt," Emma spat, approaching the female vampire who was writhing on the ground in pain, trying to remove the stake. "And I liked this top. This should teach you some manners." She snapped the neck of the vampire. When Emma stood up, Damon tackled her.

"You're okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine, darling. It was just a stake."

"Just a stake? Just a stake! Are you crazy?"

"Amare, ego sum bysso. _(Love, I'm fine.),_" said Emma in her native tongue, cradling Damon's face in her hands.

"Putavi…_(I thought…)_"

"Me intuentur. Im 'licuit. _(Look at me. I'm alright.)_" He kissed her and Emma growled at the passion he unleashed upon her. Damon pulled away from her when he heard the female vampire that attacked Emma wake up. In a flash, he was kneeling down next to the vampire, his hand in her chest, holding her heart.

"Don't."

"How dare you lay a hand on my wife. You don't deserve to live."

"Please."

"No amount of begging could ever make me stop." And with one tug he pulled the organ out and roared, his inner demon rearing its head. "Enough!" All the vampires, Emma's and Dominic's, stopped fighting. "Let this be a lesson. Originals do not tolerate insolence. Begone!" Dominic's vampires then disappeared in a flash. Those loyal to Emma bowed before their king. "Bring me something to eat. I'm starving."

"There's no need," Emma replied. "I know just the thing."

"Where's Stefan?"

"He managed to escape," Sage replied.

"Don't pursue him."

"But brother…" Sage protested.

"I said no. I am not in a mood to argue you with you, Sage."

"If that's what you wish."

"Where's Erica?"

"We took her back home," said Trevor. "She's fine. Perfectly safe."

"Clean this mess up," said Emma before she walked away with Damon. "It's such a shame you killed that vampire, dear."

"And why's that?"

"I thought we could torture her a bit. Just like in the old days," she smirked.

"Ah. Those were the good ol' days. Maybe another time, dearest." She hummed as he kissed her. "Now. Let's go eat."

A few minutes later, the couple came upon a drunk Vicki Donovan who was drinking with friends. They had released the girl earlier in the week, but now Emma was rethinking her decision.

"What do you think?" Emma asked, looking at Damon. However, he wasn't listening to her. All he could hear now was the beating of her heart. In a flash, he attacked her and guzzled down her blood.


	7. My Leftovers

At the Salvatore Manor, Vicki was lying on the sofa, mildly conscious. Damon was pacing throughout the house, leaving a message on Stefan's phone.

"Where are you, Stefan? I'm trapped at my house, and I'm getting really bored and really impatient, and I don't do bored and impatient. Bring me my ring. Damn it." He noticed Vicki bleeding onto the couch. "Aw, don't get blood on the couch! It's Parisian. Please? I got you good, didn't I? Well, you're not gonna be any fun today. I'm so gonna regret this." He bit his wrist and put it against her mouth. She struggled, but eventually gave in. "Drink up. Drink it up. Don't drip. There you go. Good girl. That's it." Damon pulled away when he heard music from upstairs. "Don't go anywhere." He walked upstairs to his bedroom and saw his beloved wife, her long brown tresses tied in a chignon, lounging in a bubble bath in their massive tub. "When'd you get here?"

"A little while ago. You were busy tending to your new chew toy."

"Jealous?"

"Not in the slightest. Because I know you're mine."

"What were you out doing?"

"Looking for your ring. Due to you being an Original, you won't burst into a fiery death if you go outside, but you still burn. I'd rather not have a nocturnal husband."

"Any luck?"

"Stefan is nowhere to be found. I think Lexi is hiding him."

"Lexi," Damon scoffed. "What are we going to do?"

"I have a plan, but nothing I can implement until sundown. So that leaves us with lots of time to kill." Damon smirked.

"I missed you while you were gone."

"I missed you too."

"We should exchange blood. Our blood bond was so weak that I couldn't communicate with you."

"I thought you'd never ask." Emma grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer so she could bite his neck. Damon moaned in ecstasy and quickly took Emma's arm and bit her wrist, his eyes glowing red. Blood sharing was the best aphrodisiac a vampire could take. They could feel the power of their Original blood coursing through each other and witnessed the bond they had forged so many millennia ago grow stronger.

"Emma, I want you," Damon groaned when he separated from her sweet blood. Emma pulled away from his neck, her eyes still glowing amethyst and swirling with lust, blood dripping from her lips. Damon's eyes glowed red and he licked away the blood from her lips. Damon groaned, but before he could pull her closer to him, Emma sped out of the tub and lay on the bed, soaking the sheets.

"Well, if you want me, come and get me," she teased. Growling, Damon ripped off his clothes, sped to the bed, and hooked Emma's leg around his waist.

"You know how I feel about teases." She surprised him when she took him by the shoulders and flipped them over. Straddling his waist, she kissed down his chest.

"You talk too much," she smiled wickedly. "You really need to learn to take what you want." She gripped his throbbing cock and pushed only the tip of him inside her.

"Emma, don't tease me. You won't like what happens."

"You really need to listen better too," she giggled. Growling deeply, his hands gripped her hips and he pushed her down. "Fuck, yes."

"Just remember. You asked for it," Damon purred, his eyes glowing red and his fangs unsheathed.

"There's my boy," she moaned, her back arching as he pushed roughly inside her. He flipped her over and pumped deeper and deeper, Emma calling his name over and over. Like a cobra, he embedded his fangs in her neck and she screamed as she felt apart into oblivion. Damon groaned mid-pull as her inner muscles tightened around him. She scratched his back, drawing blood, as she rode out her orgasm. Her essence drove him to completion when he separated from her beautiful blood.

"You'll be the death of me one day, woman," he muttered when they collapsed.

"What are we going to do now? We still have five hours to kill."

"Party?"

"Hmm. Party."

Later, My Leftovers by Porcelain and The Tramps was blasting through the stereo. The house was packed with vampires and donors. Some vampires feeding on their donors, others just dancing to the music. As Emma danced with Sage, Damon fed on Vicki again.

"Wow. Your life is truly pathetic," Damon muttered, having read her blood. "I think I know what can help you."

"What's that?" she asked.

"Death." He snapped her neck and let her collapse on the floor. All the vampires noticed what their king had done and purred that another vampire was joining their ranks. Within a few minutes, Vicki woke up.

"Well, well, look at what you made, dearest," said Emma.

"What happened?"

"You're one of us now," Sage purred, her chin resting on Emma's shoulder as they moved to the beat of the music. As Vicki lay on the ground confused, Damon pulled Emma to his arms and sped her to a wall. He hiked her leg up around his waist and buried his aching fangs in her neck. As the aphrodisiacal scent of Emma's blood wafted through the room, the other vampires fed on their donors. No one could resist the lust that the scent of Emma's blood created. Damon growled as Emma pulled at his hair and he pulled away from her.

"You're a bad, bad boy. You did that on purpose," she whispered, wiping her blood from his lips and licking it off her fingertips.

"You make me bad. Besides, no Salvatore party is complete without a little debauchery." Emma smirked, but before her lips could touch his, they were both tackled by something and pushed out the window.

"What the hell was that!" Rose yelled, looking out the window to see Emma and Damon hissing at Stefan, the moonlight the only thing illuminating the backyard.

"I'm going to kill you, you son of a bitch," Stefan spat.

"Back off, Stefan, or so help me God I will stake you!" Damon snarled.

"You stole her from me! She was mine! We were wonderful together and you had to fuck it all up!"

"What! This isn't about Rome! This is about the fact that Emma split up from you after she found out I was alive. You asshole, you lied to her! Deceived us all! If anyone's ass needs kicked, it's you! You're nothing but a spoiled little brat!"

"Emma, I promise everything will go back to normal after I take care of him." At vampire speed, Emma grabbed one of the tiki torches by the patio and stabbed in the stomach from behind.

"Now, you listen to me good because I will not repeat myself," Emma began, gripping Stefan in a headlock. "We are over, you little prick! This is your last warning. If you come between Damon and I again, I will rip every organ out of your body and watch you bleed out. I would die for Damon. If I had to make a choice between you and him, it would always be Damon. I would rip you apart and dance on your tombstone to protect him so you better watch your mouth from now on or else you're going to lose it. Now where's Damon's ring?"

"Jacket pocket," he groaned. Damon removed the ring from his pocket and put it back on his right hand. Emma then pushed him to the ground. Stefan groaned when he took the torch out. When he rose from the ground, Damon punched him.

"Dick," Damon spat.

"Hey, guys, we got a problem!" Sage yelled from the house.

"What now!" Damon yelled back, exasperated.

"Your newbie vamp just flew the coop." Damon groaned.

"Newbie? What's she talking about?" Stefan asked.

"He turned Vicki. She's in transition," Emma said, amused.

"WHAT!" Stefan yelled.

"Now, now. Remember what I said, Stefan. Watch your mouth. That includes sanctimonious speeches about right and wrong," Emma smirked.

"Let's just go find her," Stefan growled. A few minutes later, Stefan found Vicki at the cemetery.

"Vicki?" Stefan called.

"I'm starting to remember things. What they did to me. It's all coming back."

"I'm so sorry. Damon had no right to do this to you."

"If I don't feed, what will happen?"

"You'll fade quickly. And then it'll all just be over."

"I'll be dead. I don't want this."

"I know. It'll be ok. You're gonna be ok. I can help you."

"Is it better? Is it better? Will I be better? I wanna go home. Will you take me home?" Suddenly, gunfire rang out. Stefan was shot in the stomach. Across the cemetery, Emma and Damon looked to the sound of the shot.

"Gunfire," Damon muttered. The two rushed toward Stefan's location and Emma bit Logan Fell, killing him. Damon kneeled down in front of Stefan and removed the wooden bullet from his chest. "If anyone's gonna kill you, it's gonna be me."

"No! No! Vicki!" Stefan yelled, seeing the new vampire drinking Logan's blood.

"I'm sorry," she muttered before running off. Stefan glared at Emma.

"Oops," she muttered. Emma then noticed something gold glittering on the ground. It was a compass. She picked it up, examining it. "Well, well. What do we have here?"


	8. Giving In

A flock of crows flew through the skies, searching for their prey. They finally found what they were looking for in the UC Santa Barbara parking lot. The crows shape-shifted into Damon, Stefan, and Emma when they saw Vicki about to feed off Tyler Lockwood. Emma quickly grabbed Vicki, pinning her with her superior strength.

"Relax!" Emma ordered.

"Let go of me!" the new vampire screamed.

"What's going on here, Emma? What's wrong with her?" Tyler asked.

"You don't talk," said Damon.

"Screw you, dude."

"'Dude' really?, 'dude'? I'm over 2,000 years old."

"Damon, don't!" said Stefan.

"Oh come on. Who's gonna miss this idiot?" Tyler punched Damon.

"Oh. Big mistake," Emma taunted as Damon grabbed Tyler by the throat and began to compel him.

"Forget what you saw here tonight. None of us were here." Damon then threw Tyler over his car and they disappeared into the night.

The next morning, Stefan had confined Vicki to the game room upstairs at the Salvatore Mansion. Emma was flipping through the newspaper while Damon played pool. Stefan was trying to explain to Vicki why she had to stay inside.

"I don't understand why I have to stay cooped up here. Why can't I just go home?" Vicki asked.

"How about 'you'll fry to a crisp if you go past the front door'?" Damon suggested.

"You're changing, Vicki, and it's not something you wanna do alone," said Stefan.

"There's nothin' about that Logan guy I killed, Damon. Not a word. The council's covering it up," said Emma as she twiddled the vampire compass between her fingers.

"What is that?" Vicki asked.

"This is a very special, very old compass. I remember when I first saw it. It was created by Leonardo Da Vinci. It's a tool used to hunt vampires," Emma answered. "What was Logan Fell doing with it? Aren't you all curious?"

"Well, if you're so worried, why don't you just leave town?" Stefan asked.

"We should all be worried."

"Hey, um, I'm hungry. Do you have anything to eat?" Vicki asked.

"Here," said Stefan as he handed her a cup of blood.

"What is it?"

"It's what you're craving."

"Heh. Don't lie to the girl. It's so not what you're craving, but it'll do in a pinch, right, Stef?" said Damon.

"What is it?"

"Yeah, what is it? Is it a skunk? Saint Bernard? Bambi?"

"Go on. Give it a try."

"She's new. She needs people blood. She can't sustain on that stuff," Emma said.

"Yeah, why can't I have people blood?"

"Because it's wrong to prey on innocent people, Vicki."

"You don't have to kill to feed," Damon interrupted. "Just find someone really tasty and then erase their memory afterwards. It's so easy."

"No, no, no. There's no guarantee that you can control yourself, okay? It takes years to learn that. You could easily kill somebody, and then you have to carry that with you for the rest of your life, which, if I haven't made clear, is eternity."

"Don't listen to him. He walks on a moral plane way out of our eye line. I agree with Damon. Snatch, eat, erase. It's the only way," Emma said.

"Hey, look at me. We choose our own path. Our values and our actions, they define who we are," said Stefan to Vicki.

"I think a little bit of my soul just threw up," Emma muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Okay, Count Deepak. We're outta here," said Damon, leaving the room with Emma.

"Can I have some more?" Vicki asked, finishing the cup. Damon and Emma walked down the stairs and heard the doorbell ring. Damon smiled, knowing exactly who it was. Erica.

"We need to talk," said Erica.

"Please come in," said Damon.

"How could you do this! You turned Matt's sister!"

"Inside voices please," said Emma.

"No. How can you two act like you've done nothing wrong? My brother was dating, Vicki. What are we going to do? Nathan is out there searching for her with the rest of the town. What do I tell him?"

"Stefan's working with her. But it's gonna take time," said Emma. "Vicki has a very volatile and impulsive personality. She's a drug user. That's gonna play a part in how she responds to the transition."

"So, she's a vampire with issues? What am I supposed to do? Because I'm lying to everyone that I care about. What's gonna happen to her?"

"She will stay here and she won't go anywhere until I'm satisfied that she's stable," said Damon.

"Why did you turn her, Damon?" Erica asked.

"The girl was miserable. Her life sucks. Being a vampire releases you from all of that. Trust me. She'll be thanking me later."

"He's right. Every vampire Damon's ever turned has thanked him. You see, he only picks the truly miserable ones."

"So you turned her out of pity?" Erica asked, surprised.

"Rationalize it all you want. I don't really care. What's done is done. Now, Emma and I have places to be. You sure you want to be here by yourself?"

"I'll be fine."

"Okay." Emma and Damon then left the house to spy on the Council at City Hall.

"We never should have trusted that Logan...weasel with the watch," said the Mayor.

"If she finds out, she'll massacre us all," said Carol.

"You're right. I would do that," said Emma, entering the hall with Damon. She pulled the compass out of her purse as Damon locked the doors. "I believe this is yours. I'll be keeping it." Emma took a seat at the head of the table. "Now, we're going to have a nice long chat until I'm satisfied that you're going to uphold the treaty. Feel free to negotiate. And your excuse for why you were hunting vampires better be damn good."

"We weren't hunting. We just wanted to make sure those vampires that were loyal to Dominic had been dealt with," said Liz.

"Dominic and his followers are none of your concern. That is the Cleaners' business. You overstepped your boundaries. Now, let me make something clear. If this had been the Middle Ages, you would all be headless, but you're not. Now why do you think that is?"

"It's your choice," said Carol.

"Yes. It's my choice. I choose to let you all live your short human lives. I choose to live in this town and abide by the rules of the treaty that your forefathers and I agreed on. I also choose to give you all a second chance to prove your loyalty. I will be sending you all a gift in a few days to assuage your worries concerning the vampire population. However, mark my words, if I even get a whiff of humans hunting my own, you'll be the first I sink my fangs into. We clear?" The humans nodded. "Good. Have a nice day." Emma and Damon then left. "I'm going to go to the office. Run a few errands. What about you?"

"I'll make sure Vicki and Stefan haven't burned the house down."

"Good idea."

"See you at the party at Blood Desire?"

"Sure. I'll meet you there." When Damon arrived at the house, he spotted Vicki grabbing Erica by the throat. He sped toward the two and threw Vicki off her.

"No! She is not dinner! Erica and Nathan are two people you do not feed on!" Damon yelled. "Go to your room!" Vicki sighed and walked back upstairs as Erica coughed.

"She threatened me," Erica said.

"She's on edge. Imagine every sense in your body operating at super speed. She's uncomfortable in her own skin. And then when you throw in her other issues..."

"How long before it settles? Hours? Days? Weeks?"

"There's not a handbook."

"Well, how long before you learned to control it?"

"Pretty quickly, but it depends on personality. It's hard to resist certain people, especially when you're new. It's difficult to separate your feelings. Love, lust, anger, desire…it can all blur into one urge. Hunger."

"What does that mean?"

"It means under no circumstances can Nathan see her. Not now. She might not be able to resist him, and she could hurt him."

"Or worse."

"Relax. I've turned a lot people like this. Most of them survived."

"What do you mean most?"

"Some I may have had to kill for risk of exposure."

"Damon! You can't kill her."

"It's not going to come to that."

"I need to get going."

"Erica…"

"Damon, there's only so much I can take." Erica walked out of the house.

That night, Damon walked upstairs. He saw Vicki lying on the bed of one of the guestrooms, listening to music.

"What are you doing?" Damon asked.

"Just contemplating the next hundred years. Why did you do it?"

"I…pitied you. I was a little bored too."

"All I can think about is blood. I just want some blood. I can't think about anything else. What is that about?"

"That'll ease up," he chuckled. "You've just been cooped up all day. Come on. I'm supposed to meet Emma at Club Blood Desire for the annual Halloween party."

"Is that a good idea with me being all blood crazy?"

"Your life was pathetic. Your afterlife doesn't have to be." He offered her his hand and she took it.

"Where are you two going?" Stefan asked.

"Fieldtrip," Damon answered. "Vicki, race you to the club."

"Wait, Damon!" But before he could say anything else, the two disappeared. "Damnit."

Club Blood Desire was a business owned by the Salvatores and was one of the best bars in Santa Barbara.

"Are you sure bringing her was a good idea?" Emma asked as she danced with Damon.

"She's not going to learn control unless she's around people. Don't worry. I've got an eye on her."

"Oh really? Then where is she?" Erica asked, approaching the couple. Damon looked around.

"Crap. She's really good at vampire speed."

"I've lost track of Nathan," said Erica.

"That's not good," Emma muttered. "Let's find her."

As Damon and Emma split up to find Vicki, Damon ran into Bonnie and saw that she had the Artemis and Apollo rings hanging on a chain around her neck.

"Where'd you get that?" Damon asked.

"From a friend."

"Those are mine."

"Not anymore," said Bonnie, having been told by her grandmother that they were important witch items that needed to be protected from vampires.

"Funny. I'd like them back, please."

"I'm not giving it to you."

"Or I could just take them." Damon grabbed for the rings, but they burned his hand. Bonnie ran. Outside, Erica was searching for Nathan.

"Nathan!" Erica then saw Vicki attacking him. "Vicki, no!" She hit the vampire with a wooden plank. Vicki pushed her into a pile of garbage nearby. Emma appeared and grabbed Vicki. Vicki rammed Emma with her arm, penetrating her stomach, and in pain Emma lost her grip on her.

"Go! Get inside! Go!" Emma ordered. Before they could move, Vicki pushed Nathan out of the way and grabbed Erica, biting her. Stefan appeared out of nowhere and stabbed Vicki with a wooden stake, killing her.

"Vicki!" Nathan yelled.

"This is why you don't turn drug addicts," Stefan growled at Emma.

"Get him out of here," Emma yelled as she healed. She then approached Erica and opened up her wrist. "Drink. She bit you pretty hard." Erica accepted the blood.

"She's dead," Erica cried.

"I'm sorry. Stefan had no choice."

"What am I going to do! What am I going to tell people!"

"I'll take care of it."

"This is Damon's fault! If he hadn't turned her…"

"She'd be dead!" Emma interrupted.

"What?"

"I never wanted you to know this, but…Vicki violated the treaty. She supplied the names and addresses of vampires to humans who were creating a recreational drug made from our blood. She was killing our kind. If Damon or I hadn't dealt with her, some other vampire would have drained her dry. If she was a part of Damon's line, no one could touch her. He was showing her mercy. The truth is Vicki was dead the moment she decided to make friends with drug dealers."

"What am I going to tell Nathan?"

"Do you trust me?" Erica hesitated. "It's a simple question. Do you trust me?"

"I used to, Aunt Em. My brain is saying no now, but my gut says yes."

"Which one are you going to follow?"

"Do what you have to do." Emma took Erica home just as Damon arrived.

"Stay outside. This will only take a moment."

"What are you going to do?" Erica asked.

"What's necessary." Emma walked into the house and saw Nathan crying in his room.

"Nathan?" Emma called.

"Aunt Em?"

"Hey. I need to talk to you. Do you understand what happened tonight?"

"She's dead. Vicki's dead."

"I'm so sorry, Nathan."

"Make it stop. It hurts."

"Shh, shh, shh. It's okay. It's okay," Emma consoled, hugging him. "I'll make it go away."

"Emma," said Damon, entering the room. "Let me do it. This is my fault."

"Damon," Emma sighed, knowing none of this was his fault. He couldn't see into the future.

"It's okay. Let me do it." Emma pulled away from Nathan and Damon kneeled down so he was at eye level.

"Nathan, you're going to forget what you saw tonight. Vicki left town and she's not coming back. You shouldn't look for her or worry about her. You're gonna miss her, but you know it's for the best." Damon pulled away the compulsion complete.


	9. Never Take Friendship Personal

With a jolt, Emma woke up in a sweat. Two words rang out from her dream. _It's coming._ Emma rubbed her eyes and looked at the clock. _8 AM._ She plopped back down on the pillows and sighed.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Damon grumbled, half asleep, pulling Emma closer to him.

"Just a bad dream," Emma muttered as Damon drew small circles on Emma's legs soothingly.

"Just a bad dream or an Original dream?" Damon asked, kissing her neck.

"I don't know. Maybe a little of both," Emma moaned, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I could make you forget about it," Damon smirked. Emma giggled.

"That…would be very nice." However before Damon could even make a move, Emma's phone beeped. They both groaned. Emma grabbed the device and looked at the message. "Unknown Number."

"Forget it then," Damon said, kissing behind her ear. Emma sat up immediately. "What!" Damon whined.

"No. This is my source."

"Source? What are you talking about?"

"A few years ago, someone got a hold of this number. Started giving me information. All of it proved credible."

"You know who he is?"

"I have a few ideas."

"What'd he send you this time?"

"Mole in the Coven. Linked to Vargas Incident. Identity to be determined. Will notify you of change," Emma read the text message.

"Well, that sounds ominous."

"A mole's a serious problem. Hmm. I need to run an errand in L.A. Can you hold down the fort?"

"Sure. You going to be back in time for Stefan's B-day party?"

"Should be. I might be bringing a few friends. So save us some donors."

"Sure." After Emma left, Damon dressed and snuck into Stefan's room, surprised to see Stefan's friend, Lexi, sleeping there. He sat down on the mattress and Lexi shifted next to them. "Boo." Lexi groaned, awake. "Hello, Lexi. What an unexpected surprise."

"Unexpected surprise? I think the wrong brother went back to college."

"Why are you in my house?"

"Stefan invited me over last night."

"Oh, you mean you didn't come all this way to see me?"

"That's it, Damon. After a century, I finally realize death means nothing without you. Do me."

"Oh, you're so mean."

"Uh, have you met you? You're not a nice person."

"Because I'm a vampire." Before Lexi could make a snappy retort, Damon grabbed her by the neck. "I don't like you. You knew where Emma was and you knew where I was in New York. Thus, you were in on Stefan's little plan. Let me make something clear, Alexia. I'm older and that means stronger. It would be wise for you not to anger me."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't ruin my time with Emma, 'cause I'll hurt you. And you know I can do it."

"Yeah." Damon released Lexi and then left.

When Emma arrived in L.A., she parked her car at a nearby bank. She took out a camera and began to take pictures of a dark-haired man exiting the bank.

"Gotcha. Long time, no see. Elijah." A few minutes later, Elijah entered his apartment after collecting his mail. He was surprised to see his fireplace roaring and Emma sitting in a chair, facing the front door.

"Emmalyne."

"Hello, brother or should I call you unknown number now?"

"You figured it out."

"It wasn't easy. I'll tell you that. Why were you hiding from me?"

"I thought it would be better this way. We hadn't exactly left each other on the best of terms."

"I thought you were dead," Emma said, her eyes welling up.

"What?"

"Nik wasn't exactly pleased with you when I left the Family. I figured he would have boxed you up like everyone else."

"What are you talking about? Klaus didn't box anyone up. That was Katerina."

"What?" asked Emma, shocked.

"You know how she loves her witches. She had one gain control over Klaus, put him in a compulsion of sorts, forced him to dagger the rest of our family. Why do you think Klaus has been scouring the globe for her?"

"That bitch."

"I see your hatred of her is still intact."

"Where is Nik?"

"Right now? In L.A. Picking up supplies for his next venture. He should be coming over soon."

"Good, good. We'll have a nice chat then about some information I discovered. I need to know more about this mole."

"I told you that…"

"Elijah, I know you better than anyone. You are my brother, my best friend, my partner in crime. You always know more than you let on. Who is the mole?"

"When I heard about the incident with Dominic and the ties to Stefan, I began researching it. It didn't make sense for an Original to get in bed with that scum," said Elijah, sitting down on the couch. "Everyone knows that the Originals are a tight-knit community. At least, that's what we portray. Dominic needed an in." Emma considered this information.

"Go on."

"Dominic had a proxy. And who do you know who's closer to Dominic than anyone else?"

"Well, I'll be damned. She was under my nose this entire time. He used a vampire he sired. Lexi."

"Yes. I believe Alexia Branson met Stefan for the sole purpose of using him."

"It makes sense. When Stefan went on a Ripper binge, Lexi was always there to pull him back. Stefan felt loyal to her so when Dominic needed assistance, he felt obliged to help her friend's sire. If anything, the Salvatores are nothing but honorable."

"Not to mention, out of all us, Stefan has always been the weakest. Too trusting."

"True."

"It's abhorrent what he did to you and Damon."

"Did you know about that?" Emma asked, her temper rising.

"He didn't," said a voice. Niklaus entered the room. "Here's your car back." He threw a set of keys to Elijah. "None of us knew about Stefan's sins. Not until recently. Trust me. If either one of us had found out, we would have daggered Stefan ourselves."

"It's good to see you, brother," Emma replied, leaving her chair and hugging Nik.

"I've missed you, sister."

"As have I."

"Don't lie. It doesn't suit you. For centuries, you hated me, believing me to have daggered our family."

"You never told me otherwise," said Emma as she sat down and Klaus joined Elijah on the couch.

"I was compelled not to. Part of Katerina's charms."

"Katerina. She will be dealt with in due time."

"I'm leaving to find her," said Nik.

"And how long have you been on that quest, Nik? 800 years? No. No more. Wouldn't you like to see your family instead?" Elijah and Klaus both rose in surprise.

"They're awake?" they both asked.

"No. Not yet. But I know where Katerina hid them. In the Prison in the catacombs of Santa Barbara and I am very close to acquiring the key that will unlock the seal."

"Katerina must be punished," Nik demanded.

"I agree wholeheartedly, but consider this. Katherine has avoided you at every turn. She knows how to run and hide and not be found. Don't pursue her, Nik. Let's make her comfortable. She'll be more likely to slip up. Katherine has always hungered for power, the power to dethrone me."

"You're going to bait her," said Elijah.

"Exactly."

"With what?" Klaus asked, concerned for his big sister.

"The Amulet of Authority."

"What! Are you crazy!" Klaus yelled. "If she gets her hands on that, there's no telling what she'll do."

"She's not going to get her hands on it, Nik. Relax. As we speak, I'm sending out rumors about the Amulet. That I have it."

"You're using Dominic's plan."

"Yes. Dominic wanted the Amulet so he could use it against us. The amulet is in a place where no one will ever find it and no one knows the location, but me. Katherine can't kill me or dagger me without losing her only source of information."

"It's the perfect plan," Elijah smirked.

"I don't like it. Have you spoken to Damon about it?" Emma rolled her eyes. "You haven't."

"Damon doesn't need to know everything."

"You haven't told him because you know he won't like it."

"Klaus, be realistic. You've gotten nowhere with Katherine! You failed! Now we're doing things my way. Katherine is a manipulative little bitch so in order to defeat her, you have to beat her at her own game. You have to be just as manipulative as she is. Now, are you two in or what?"

"Fine," Klaus sighed as Elijah nodded.

"Good. We should make our way to Santa Barbara then. I kept both your rooms the same. It's time the Originals Council was resurrected."

"You having problems in Santa Barbara?" Nik asked.

"Humans who don't know their place, vampires out of control. It's becoming tedious. They no longer fear the Originals. And I am concerned about…never mind."

"What?"

"Erica and Nathan. Damon had to compel Nathan."

"Emma, you know the risks of doing that to those children," said Elijah.

"I know. But it was necessary. Like I said, things are becoming complicated very quickly. I thought I could handle it on my own, but I need my brothers. I need my family. So I ask you, will you come back to the fold?"

"You don't need to ask," said Elijah. "I have always been there for you."

"You may have hated me for the longest time, but I have always loved you, big sister. We're in," said Klaus.

"Good."

"Now, I think the first order of business is chopping your mole's head off, isn't it?" Nik asked. Emma smiled. Oh, how she loved her brother's directness.

Meanwhile, at the Sheriff's office, Sheriff Forbes was finishing some paperwork when she received a call.

"Yeah. Send him in." Damon entered the office. "Mister Salvatore, come on in. Could you get the door for me?"

"Sure."

"How can I help you?

"As promised, a gift from my wife and I." Damon handed the Sheriff a box filled with plants.

"Vervain."

"That's all we have at the moment, I hope it's enough."

"Why are you…"

"If giving you vervain is what we have to do to make you feel secure, so be it. And my wife wanted me to thank you for your excellent work with the cover story for the Donovan girl."

"I hope that will be the last of those kind of incidents, Mr. Salvatore. Have you found the vampire that turned her?"

"Yes as a matter of fact. My wife just discovered her identity. It's why she couldn't deliver this gift personally. Her informants are coming with her as we speak to deal with the problem tonight at my brother's birthday celebration."

"I'm curious. You do seem to like issuing out punishment at parties."

"We, Originals, have found it best to make our executions public. Old vampires are few in this town so the vampires that are around don't know the stories of our power. Emma and I think it's time they were reminded of that." Liz caught the implied meaning. It wasn't only vampires that were danger, but also humans, if they didn't obey the treaty.

"I'll make sure the Council receives your warning."

"Thank you." When Damon left the Sheriff's Office, he received a call from Emma.

"How'd it go?" she asked.

"I gave her the lilac. Humans. So stupid. They can't even tell the difference between vervain and lilac."

"Makes sense. They wouldn't know the difference between the two. Vervain no longer grows in the United States. We made sure of that and I've made contact with vervain over the Internet limited. Every time they run a search for it they get an error message. The humans in Santa Barbara don't know what it really smells like." Damon chuckled. His wife. She always thought of everything to ensure their safety.

"I don't know if they'll take my warning seriously. Only time will tell. You're sure Lexi's the mole?"

"Positive."

"Good. Cause I just laid on the Sheriff that Lexi was responsible for turning Vicki."

"Ooh. Good cover story."

"Well, I didn't think she'd be too pleased with the truth. Turning Vicki was a mistake. I admit it. But we don't need one mistake screwing up everything you've worked for."

"I agree."

"Where are you?"

"On the road. With a few friends. We'll meet you at the Coven House for Stefan's party."

"You going to tell me who your friends are?"

"Hmm. I think I'll let it be a surprise. Also, interesting bit of information I just found out. Klaus wasn't the one who daggered my family."

"What are you talking about? You saw it."

"Let me make a correction. Yes, Klaus did dagger my family, but under duress. It was Katherine's doing. She had him hypnotized by a witch."

"Katherine. What are we going to do about her?"

"In due time, my love. In due time. Where are you on obtaining the rings?"

"It's slow. You need to talk to Bonnie. She won't hand them over."

"Did you tell her I needed them?"

"Yes. She won't listen."

"Damn that Sheila."

"Who?"

"Her grandmother. Sheila must have told Bonnie something. That woman never did like me or approve of Bonnie's friendship with me."

"I even tried to get Caroline to take it from her, but it shocked her."

"Bonnie's powers are maturing. None of this will matter when I return. Don't worry. We'll get our hands on those rings."

That night, Erica approached Damon at Stefan's party.

"What did you do to my brother?" she asked.

"I'm gonna need a less vague question."

"When you did what you did to Nathan's memory of Vicki, what else did you do to him?"

"I took away his memory of fangs and all the bad stuff. I took away his suffering."

"But he's acting different. He seems okay with everything and a little too okay. I mean he's studying; he's not doing drugs; he's not drinking; are you sure you didn't do something else?"

"Erica, I took away the suffering," Damon reiterated gently, putting his hand on Erica's shoulder. Damon went to get a drink at the bar in the house when Lexi caught up to him with shots.

"The shots are a bribe. I need you to answer a question. What are you really doing in Santa Barbara?"

"It's my new home, Lexi. If you don't like it, move."

"Cut the crap!"

"Okay, I have a diabolical master plan."

"What is it?"

"If I told you it wouldn't be very diabolical, now would it? If I were you, I'd be careful how you speak to me."

"I'm not afraid of you."

"Well, you should be because I know who you are," Damon whispered in her ear. "Mole." Lexi's eyes widened in alarm. "I mean did you really think we wouldn't figure it out?" Lexi sped out of the house toward the back yard attempting to escape, but was stopped when a wave of darkness threw her back into the wall. Damon ran out of the house and saw her slumped against the wall, an aura of darkness surrounding her. He recognized that power. Niklaus.

"Well, well, well. Looks like the gang's all back together," Damon smirked.

"What are you talking about?" Lexi asked.

"If you thought the Salvatore Originals were trouble, just wait until you meet the Mikaelsons." Lexi saw three pairs of glowing eyes walking up the hill of the backyard. One gold, one red, the other amethyst. Lightning struck, illuminating the figures. "Good to see you. Elijah, Nik."

"Likewise, mate. It's good to see our old hunting partner," Klaus replied.

"What's going on out here?" Rose asked as other vampires including Stefan exited the house to see what the commotion was outside. "Emma?"

"For too long, the Coven has run rampant, stomping on our rules, centuries of tradition," said Emma as Damon joined her. "No more."

"We created you all and we can end you just as easily," Nik threatened as Rose and Sage joined Emma as well.

"Allows us to make our point," Elijah added. He sped toward Lexi and grabbed her by the throat.

"No!" Stefan yelled. "She's my friend. There's no need to resort to violence."

"Violence is all we have!" Emma yelled. "It is the only thing young vampires fear."

"Stand down, brother. You don't know of the sins she's committed," Damon countered.

"What are you talking about?"

"Did you really think your meeting with Alexia Branson was by accident? She was sent by Dominic to befriend you. You have always been the weakest of us. You were the easy mark. Lexi used you and gave you to Dominic on a silver platter. But then you used him in return. I'm cleaning up this Dominic mess and Lexi's the last piece," Emma replied.

"Lexi, is this true? Were you sent by Dominic to me?" Stefan asked.

"Yes. I'm sorry. But you were always my friend."

"Allow me to punish her," said Stefan.

"It would be poetic," Sage counseled.

"Hmm. Do the rest of you feel the same way?" Emma asked the other Originals.

"He was the one to be betrayed," said Elijah. "It seems fair."

"I grow tired of this nonsense. I don't care what happens to the little traitor. Let's just be done with it," said Damon.

"Alright, Stefan, you can punish her. However, you must decide now. What are you going to do with her?"

"It is my decision. She betrayed our friendship, but you believe in free will as much as I, Emma. So I choose…to show mercy. I choose to forgive her." Emma looked down and laughed as Elijah and Klaus groaned.

"Oh, Stefan. You made the wrong choice," said Sage. Emma sped to Lexi and grabbed her by the throat.

"When you betray one Original, you betray all of us. Let this be a lesson to you all! No one steps out of line or this fate befalls them! Now you either handle the heat or get out of my fucking kitchen!" Emma brandished a stake and stabbed Lexi in the heart.

"NO!" Stefan yelled as he went to Lexi. But it was too late. She was dead. He growled then pounced on Emma. "How could you do that! It was my choice!" Emma threw him off her.

"YOU'RE WEAK! We're Originals!"

"We don't show mercy!" Klaus added.

"I warned you once about crossing me, Stefan," said Emma. "However, I remember a time in Russia when you saved my life. So I'm going to spare yours. We're even. And now we're done."

"There's a new law in town," Elijah warned. "Us. And if you've got a problem with that, I suggest you step up." All the vampires moved back, fearful. "Good. Now go have a nice time at our vampire brother's party. Go on now. Shoo!" The vampires returned inside.

"What do you want to do about the body?" Rose asked Emma.

"Leave it. She never had a daylight ring. Let her burn. Now, how about all of us blow this party and have some drinks at my house?" Emma asked Sage, Damon, Rose, Klaus and Elijah.

"Let's hit it," said Sage.

"Stef, you coming?" Damon asked.

"Screw you," Stefan spat.

"Oh come on. She was just one little vampire."

"She was my friend."

"There's lots more where that came from. Haven't you ever heard the expression don't take friendship personal?" Stefan glared at him. "Fine, fine. Be broody. We're going to go have some fun."

Later that night, Emma and Damon were getting ready for bed, the party with their families having died down.

"Well, that was quite the surprise. Nik and Eli," said Damon, turning down the comforter.

"You think Stefan will be okay?"

"Honestly, I don't really care."

"Liar."

"Alright, maybe I care what my brother thinks of me, but it had to be done. The Coven was running out of control. It's best to reintegrate the Originals Council. And it's kind of good to see Elijah and Klaus again. I'm glad to see that smile on your face."

"I need to talk to you about something. And you're not going to like it."

"Okay. I'm bracing myself."

"I have a plan to get revenge on Katherine."

"That's good. What's the bad part?"

"It involves the Amulet of Authority."

"Oh, Emma," Damon groaned.

"I know, I know, but it's the only thing that'll get her interest."

"I know. Doesn't mean I have to like it."

"You're not overreacting like I thought you would."

"Nik filled me in. Listen, I don't like it. I think its dangerous and two-faced and not you, but I do know it needs to be done. Katherine needs to pay and I know you won't rest, you won't be able to move forward, until you do something about her. So I have my own little plan."

"Oh really?" Emma smiled. "Mind filling me in?"

"Well, I will do damage control, make sure none of our loved ones are put in the crossfire, and keep a very close eye on you so close as a matter of fact that you may never leave this bed." Emma wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Hmm. I think I like that plan." Damon kissed her.

"Well, you know me. I'm the best at diabolical master plans."


	10. Two Black Cadillacs

When Emma woke, it was to the sound of the house phone ringing. Groaning, she reached over to the bedside table and grabbed the phone.

"What?" she answered groggily.

"He's here. Saltzman," said Sage from an office building downtown.

"You woke me to share the location of the vampire hunter we have on the payroll?"

"He's logged in to our secure website using your name and password."

"How the hell does he know these things?" Emma asked, pulling on a long salmon colored robe over her matching satin and lace nightgown as she walked onto the balcony.

"I'm doing my best to find out."

"Has he figured out the human vampire hunting organization he's working for is really run by vampires?"

"As far as we can tell, no."

"Who's he looking at?"

"Your husband's file."

"Hmm. I wonder why. He couldn't possibly be thinking…"

"We sent him an assignment to take care of Dimitrios."

"Dimitrios. That slimy bastard."

"Saltzman ignored our message. He's in Santa Barbara."

"I'll take care of this personally." Emma hung up and dialed another number. "Jenna, sorry to wake you so early in the morning, but I have an assignment for you." An hour or so later, Emma walked down the stairs into the kitchen, dressed for the day. She met Damon out on the backyard terrace for lunch. Stablehands were walking the Salvatores' horses out to pasture.

"Good morning, sister," said Nik, giving Emma a kiss on the cheek before sitting down. He then noticed Rose and Elijah talking heatedly by the pool. "Ah. There's nothing like a vampiress scorned."

"Unless you want to lose your breakfast, I suggest you don't bring up my sister's love life at the table," Damon murmured as Emma giggled.

"Rose, I love you. For five hundred years not a day went by that I didn't think of you," Elijah pleaded, wanting his old lover back.

"Well, maybe you should have said that before you left me in Venice. I'm with Trevor now. Accept it." Rose walked toward the stables and Elijah stalked back toward the breakfast table.

"Someone's giving you the stink eye," Emma sang before taking a bite out of her bagel.

"I don't want to talk about it," Elijah growled.

"Alright then. Let's talk about this. Alex Dimitrios."

"Ugh," Nik groaned. "Worst human you turned ever."

"Who?" Damon asked.

"I turned him in the twenties. I was…bored. Alex Dimitrios is now the world's private banker to known vampire hunters. He invests their money and gives them access to whatever they want. Czech. Chess prodigy, a bit of a math genius and he loves to prove it by playing poker. Dimitrios is draining my casinos dry. I've set up a high-stakes poker game at the Crimson Le Roue Casino on the Strip tonight. Ten players, $10 million dollar buy-in. Winner takes all, potentially $100 million. I've arranged for you and Nik to be in the game. Damon, I want my money back and then I want Dimitrios' heart delivered to me."

"Consider it done, dear. What are you doing about Bonnie?"

"I'm going to speak with her today. She should be coming over in a few hours. It would probably be best if you three left by the time she gets here." They nodded in agreement. An hour later, Bonnie stopped by the house.

"Hi, Bonnie," said Emma, opening the door.

"Listen, if you only invited me here to talk about those damn rings then…"

"I know Damon's been pestering you about them. I just asked you to come here because I wanted to show you something." The two girls walked into the library and Emma pulled a large worn book from a shelf. She sat down on the couch with Bonnie.

"Historia Original Ulujiribus," Bonnie read the title. "What does that mean?"

"It's Latin. It means History of the Original Families. This is the sole remaining copy of the history of my family and Damon's family." She opened the book to a biographical section featuring drawings of the Salvatores.

"This is Damon's family?"

"Yes. Damon, Sage, Stefan, and Rose-Marie. However, the Salvatores weren't the only Originals." She turned a page.

"That's you," said Bonnie, seeing a drawing of Emma. Emma's name was written at the bottom in a runic Latin script.

"Yes. I was the eldest of the Mikaelson Originals. My mother and father were Esther and Mikael. Elijah, Niklaus, Finn, Rebekah, and Kol were my other siblings," said Emma, showing Bonnie the corresponding pages.

"Ooh. He's cute," said Bonnie, looking at the image of Kol.

"And quite the troublemaker, but he was always very loyal." Bonnie saw another image.

"Who's this? She looks exactly like you, but the runic description is different."

"Katerina. My twin sister and my greatest enemy. You know my brothers, Elijah and Nik, have come to town, right?"

"Yeah. Erica told me."

"For the longest time I thought Nik had incapacitated the rest of my family and sealed them away from me forever, but I was wrong. Dark magic has always run within the Original Families. That's what makes us different from regular vampires and allows us to control them. Once upon a time, before we all turned, we were witches."

"I thought witches lost their powers after they were turned."

"Regular vampires, yes, but not Originals. Think of the vampires you know and Original vampires as two completely different species. But back to my original point, Katerina's powers of compulsion have always been strong. She compelled Nik to render Finn, Rebekah, and Kol inert with mystical daggers that can render an Original temporarily dead. She sealed them in coffins and placed them in a tomb underneath this city. My family has been torn apart and broken for over a thousand years. I know Damon hasn't been quite kind to you concerning those rings, but understand that he did it for me. Because he knows my one true desire is to reunite my family again and kill Katerina. The rings you have are the key to accomplishing that dream."

"I'm sorry, Emma. I can't give them to you."

"Can't? Or won't?"

"My Grams said that…"

"Sheila Bennett has always disliked me. So what exactly did she tell you? I guarantee you it is a half-truth."

"She said that if the tomb was opened, vampires you punished would come rushing out."

"My suspicions were correct then. She did tell you a half-truth."

"What do you mean?"

"Yes, there are vampires in that tomb, The Prison, as I like to call it. However, they were placed there almost one hundred fifty years ago. If the tomb was opened, they wouldn't be able to escape. They'd be far too desiccated to even move. I promise you, Bonnie, none of them will escape. I just need to use the rings once. Once I've used them as the key to unlock the tomb, I will return them to your family. You have my word."

"Alright." Bonnie pulled a chain out from under her top and gave the rings over to Emma, but when they touched her skin, they burned Emma. Emma dropped the rings.

"I don't understand. You released them voluntarily. Why am I still getting that reaction? Did your grandmother touch them?"

"Yeah. She did a spell on them I think. She said she was checking their power reserves."

"Damnit!"

"What?"

"There's no spell for that. And even if there was, there would be no need for it. These rings have a self-generating power source. She cast a spell on them that causes the same effects as vervain."

"I could ask her to take it off."

"No. Don't do that. I'd like to keep Sheila as uninvolved as possible. I know a witch. Can you just place the rings in that box on the mantle?"

"Sure." Bonnie took the rings and placed them in a jewelry box.

"I'll keep you apprised of the situation."

"Don't worry, Emma. I trust you. No hard feelings?"

"No hard feelings."

"Oh, by the way, have you heard from Erica? I haven't seen her all day. She didn't even come into the shop."

"That's strange. Erica's never late. I'll look into it. Thanks for coming, Bonnie."

"See you later." Emma pulled her cellphone out as Bonnie left and before she could call Erica, Damon called her.

"Hello?"

"We're in Vegas."

"Good."

"I ran into a little trouble on the way here though."

"What do you mean?"

"Erica. I found her car flipped over on the road."

"What?"

"Don't worry. She's fine. But it wasn't just an accident. It was vampire-related."

"Someone attacked her?"

"That's what I'm thinking. I didn't get a good look at the guy's face, but I recognized something on his neck. He had _her_ brand."

"Damn! Katerina knows about her."

"We don't know that yet."

"Oh come on, Damon! What are the odds that one of Katherine's vampires is in my territory? Just a coincidence? I don't think so."

"Should we be cautious? Yes. Should we jump to conclusions? No. That's all I'm saying."

"You're right," Emma sighed. "Is she okay?"

"As far as I can tell. Although she did say some very interesting things before she passed out."

"Like what?"

"I don't want to say it over the phone."

"Alright. I'm on my way." She hung up and as she got into the car, Serena called her, frantic.

"Emma, I've looked everywhere. I can't find Erica."

"Serena, it's okay. Just calm down. Everything's fine. She's with Damon."

"She was so angry with me, Emma."

"Are you on a secure line?"

"Yeah of course. It's scrambled."

"Alright. Damon told me some things, but he didn't want to get into it over the phone. What the hell's going on?"

"We got in a fight last night. She took me by surprise. She knows she and Nathan are adopted."

"What! How the hell did this happen!"

"She was looking for some information for a history paper at school and found my medical file."

"No, no!"

"Yeah. She knows I've been infertile for years. She knows there's no way I could ever be her mother."

"Damnit! Serena, I told you to burn that crap! Keeping Erica and Nathan safe is high priority! Do you know what would happen if anyone ever found out what they really are!"

"I know. Seeing the medical records. I think it triggered something. Repressed memories. I tried to do a spell on her to reverse it, but it didn't work."

"It's too late. The spell's unraveling. Alright, I'll handle it. Erica's in Vegas with Damon."

"Vegas?!"

"Long story. Wait, why would Erica be looking for historical documentation of your family in your personal health records? You keep that stuff in a frickin' safe."

"She mentioned something about Stefan telling her something…but I was so distressed…I don't remember what exactly she said."

"Stefan," Emma growled. "I'll take care of it." Emma sped down the highway and pressed a button on her steering wheel.

"Say a command please."

"Call Stefan."

"Calling Stefan." After a few dial tones, Stefan's voice came on through the car speakers.

"Hello?"

"You son of a bitch!"

"Is that the new way we say hello now? I didn't get the memo."

"Don't fuck with me, Stefan! What the fuck did you tell her!"

"I presume the her you're speaking of is Erica?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about and if I didn't have to be in another state right now I'd be ringing your little neck so spill your guts before I have Sage do it for you!"

"I told her the truth. Did you really think I wouldn't find out your secret?"

"What?" Emma asked, shocked. He couldn't possibly know.

"You killed Nathan and Erica's parents when they were kids and felt so guilty about it that you gave them to your witch best friend." Emma laughed.

"Wow, you really are quite smug when you think you know everything, but don't know anything at all."

"What's that supposed to mean? They're not Serena's kids. They couldn't be. It's not possible."

"That may be true, but you're off by miles in how Nathan and Erica became adopted by Serena."

"Why don't you tell me then? What's the connection between you, Serena, Nathan, and Erica?"

"Stefan, that's for me to know and you to dot, dot, dot." Emma hung up. A few hours later, Emma arrived at the Crimson La Roue Hotel and Casino. She walked into the duplex on the top floor of the hotel and saw Elijah, Nik, and Damon by the bar. "Where is she?"

"Bedroom," Damon answered. Emma nodded and walked into the room. As she sat down on the bed, Erica began to rouse.

"Aunt Em? Where am I?"

"Shh. Relax. You're in Las Vegas in one of my hotels. There's no broken bones. Damon checked."

"My car. There was a man. I hit a man. But then he got up and…who was that?"

"That's what I'd like to know."

"Was he a…"

"From what Damon could tell, yes."

"You don't know him?"

"If we've never met him, we wouldn't know him. It's not like we all hang out together at the vamp bar and grill."

"She's not my mom. Did…did you…"

"Yes. I knew."

"You never said anything."

"Your biological parents were good people," said Emma carefully. "But things happened…got complicated. They couldn't keep you. It was too dangerous."

"That's no excuse for abandoning your child."

"You're right. It's not."

"Who are they?"

"I can't tell you that. At least…not right now."

"I'm remembering things…things I don't remember doing, but I was there."

"Like what?"

"I was someplace cold. People were talking in Russian. I think it was some kind of palace, but I don't understand. I've never been to Russia."

"I know. When you were taken away from your parents, the experience…it was traumatic. Serena and I sealed certain things away."

"You had no right."

"I know. It was a scary time back then and I was afraid for you."

"Why am I in Vegas?"

"Your car crashed on the highway. Damon was on his way to Vegas to run an errand with my brothers. We're going to leave tomorrow morning. Your mom knows where you are. You want to talk to her?"

"That woman is not my mother."

"Maybe she's not biologically, but that doesn't make her any less of a mother. She's worried sick."

"I don't care."

"I know you need some time to process, but you're eventually going to have to talk to her."

"But not now."

"Not now. What do you say you and I ditch the guys and have some girl time?"

"Okay."

"If you want to take a shower, there's some clothes in the closet that should fit you."

"Thanks, Aunt Em."

"No problem. I'll be in the living room when you're ready to go." Emma walked out of the room and closed the door. When she heard the water in the shower turn on, a tear trailed down her cheek.

"Emma?" Damon asked, concerned.

"I can't do it," Emma whimpered, shaking her head. "I can't tell her. She's going to hate me."

"You knew this day was coming," said Elijah.

"Damon, I can't."

"Shh, shh, shh. You don't need to shoulder this alone. When we tell her about her parents, we tell her together. Now, no tears. Okay?" Emma sniffled and hugged him.

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you too."

"God, I forgot how sappy you guys are," Nik groaned. Emma laughed.

"You're going to regret saying that brother when you find a girl of your own. My teasing will be incessant."

"Are we ready to go?" Erica asked, walking out of the bedroom in a fresh set of clothes.

"Yeah. See you boys at the game."

"Buy yourself something pretty," Damon smirked, handing her his credit card. "Something that I'll…enjoy."

"Anything in particular?"

"Surprise me."

An hour later, Emma and Erica were enjoying a hydrotherapeutic bath at Qua Spa.

"Wow. This is wonderful," Erica moaned, enjoying the jets.

"There are perks to living for as long as I have. Lots and lots of money."

"What are we doing after this?"

"After this, we're going to go shopping, buy some pretty dresses, and get our makeup done at the parlor." When night fell on Sin City, Damon and Nik had arrived at the poker game.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome. As you know, the game is no limit Hold 'em Poker. You have each deposited ten million dollars buy-in. Money will remain in escrow until the winner of the contest enters his or her password into the encrypter whereupon the entire sum will be wired to any bank account in the world. Enjoy the game," said a staff member. The vampires sat at the table and the poker game began. Damon eyed Alex Dimitrios who sat in front of him. He was a skinny vampire with a mop of slicked back black hair.

"Bet $50,000 by Mr. Dimitrios," said the dealer. Damon placed a few chips on the table. "Call by Mr. Salvatore." Everyone's heads then turned when Emma walked in and up to the table in a stunning rose-colored dress. She kissed Damon.

"Good luck, darling," Emma said before meeting Elijah and Erica at the bar of the room.

"Quite the entrance you made," said Bree, the bartender.

"Thank you, Bree. There's a matter I've been wishing to discuss with you."

"Let's go in the back." Emma followed Bree into a back room. "What do you need?"

"These rings were spelled by a witch to burn at a vampire's touch. I need the spell removed. I also need to know about Emily Bennett's grimoire."

"Now what makes you think I know anything about that?"

"Come now, Bree. You were one of Sheila's students. She taught you everything you know. Are you telling me she didn't mention any of her secrets?"

"She may have mentioned one or two things, but my services always come with a price. You know that."

"Then name it."

"Hmm. The bar's been a little slow lately. Bad entertainment. When they take a break from the game, how about you do a little number? I hear you used to have a divine voice in the twenties."

"Deal."

"Emily's grimoire and the rings are the key to opening the tomb. I don't know where the grimoire is exactly. I just know that when Emily died the founding members of the council stole it and hid it away."

"Interesting. Now the rings?" Emma handed her a small jewelry box and Bree closed her eyes. She repeated a few words in Latin.

"Try them now." Emma opened the box and tentatively touched the ring. They didn't burn.

"Thank you, Bree."

"Always a pleasure doing business with you, Mrs. Salvatore." The two women then walked out of the back room to watch the game.

"Bet $200,000 by Mr. Dimitrios," said the dealer at the table. "Call by Mr. Salvatore. Mr. Dimitrios, show your hand. Full house to Mr. Dimitrios. Mr. Salvatore?"

"Fold. Send the barman over please." A man approached the table. "Bourbon. Neat. Glen Garloch."

"You know, I'll have one of those," said Nik.

"So will I," said another player.

"That's it? Anyone want to play poker now?" Dimitrios asked.

"Someone's in a hurry," Damon smirked. "Excuse me." He walked over to the bar.

"You're losing my money," Emma said.

"No, I'm not. Relax, love. It was worth it."

"What do you mean?"

"To discover the twitch he hides when he's bluffing."

"Bluff? He won."

"Which he got on the last card. The odds against were 23:1 and he knew that. When he did his first raise, he had nothing. The win was blind luck." A few hours later, a break in the game was held.

"We have a special treat for you all tonight," said Bree on the stage. "The musical talents of Mrs. Emmalyne Salvatore." Everyone clapped and Damon quirked his eyebrow in surprise. This would be interesting. A soft steady beat began as Emma approached the microphone. Within seconds, Emma's melodic voice reverberated through the room.

_Two black Cadillacs driving in a slow parade_

_Headlights shining bright in the middle of the day_

_One is for his wife,_

_The other for the woman who loved him at night_

_Two black Cadillacs meeting for the first time_

_And the preacher said he was a good man_

_And his brother said he was a good friend_

_But the women in the two black veils didn't bother to cry_

_Bye, Bye Bye, Bye_

_Yeah they took turns laying a rose down_

_Threw a handful of dirt into the deep ground_

_He's not the only one who had a secret to hide_

_Bye bye, bye bye, bye bye_

_Two black Cadillacs, two black Cadillacs_

_Two months ago his wife called the number on his phone_

_Turns out he'd been lying to both of them for oh so long_

_They decided then he'd never get away with doing this to them_

_Two black Cadillacs waiting for the right time, right time_

_And the preacher said he was a good man_

_And his brother said he was a good friend_

_But the women in the two black veils didn't bother to cry_

_Bye bye, Bye bye_

_Yeah they took turns laying a rose down_

_Threw a handful of dirt into the deep ground_

_He's not the only one who had a secret to hide_

_Bye bye, bye bye, bye bye_

_Yeah yeah_

_It was the first and the last time they saw each other face to face_

_They shared a crimson smile and just walked away_

_And left the secret at the grave_

_And the preacher said he was a good man_

_And his brother said he was a good friend_

_But the women in the two black veils they didn't bother to cry_

_Bye bye, Bye bye_

_Yeah they took turns laying a rose down_

_Threw a handful of dirt into the deep ground_

_He's not the only one who had a secret to hide_

_Bye bye, bye bye, bye bye_

_Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah_

The audience cheered and clapped and the game soon resumed.

"Four players," said the dealer. "Bet, $6 million. All in for Mr. Hirogama. $5 million all in for Mr. Mikaelson."

"Raise," said Alex.

"Bet, $12 million by Mr. Demitrios," said the dealer.

"Bet, $40 million, 500,000 all in," said Damon.

"Well, I think I'll call you on that one," said Alex, throwing all his chips in.

"Show hands," said the dealer. "Flush, ace, queen, king by Mr. Hirogama. Full house, aces full of eights, by Mr. Mikaelson. A higher house, aces full of sixes by Mr. Demitrios. Mr. Salvatore?" Damon flipped his cards over with a smirk. "5 and 7 of spades. A straight flush. Four to the eight. A high hand. Mr. Salvatore wins."

"You made a big mistake when you decided to take the queen's money, Demitrios. I'll give you a head start to run," Damon glared as his eyes glowed red.

"Original," Demitrios whispered before he flashed out of the room.

"Meet you at the suite, love," said Damon to Emma before pursuing the vampire.

A few hours later, Emma was in the living room of her suite, pouring herself a drink when Damon walked in carrying a white box wrapped with a red ribbon.

"You bought me a present?" Emma asked.

"More like…borrowed." Her interest piqued Emma grabbed the box and unwrapped. Emma gasped in surprise at the contents.

"Oh, Damon." Inside was a heart. Emma touched it and licked the blood off her fingers. "It's still warm."

"You asked me to bring you his heart. Was his punishment to your satisfaction?"

"Quite." Her back turned, Emma laid the box down and with vampire speed grabbed Damon by the ends of his undone bow tie. "I should reward you for your efforts." Emma pulled his lips to hers hungrily and their tongues immediately fought for dominance.

"Are the others gone?"

"Elijah and Nik left for Santa Barbara. They took Erica with them. She's sleeping over at the house."

"So we're completely alone then?" Damon asked, his hand brushing across her arm.

"Completely." Forcefully, Emma pushed Damon away from her into a chair. With a seductive glance, she moved the side zipper of her dress down and the rose silk pooled at her feet. Damon groaned. She was wearing nothing but black stiletto heels. "Surprise."

"Oh, you little minx."

At super speed, Emma flashed to straddle Damon in the chair, leaving her heels. She had grabbed him by the neck, but her harsh touch grew gentle as her hand snaked up his neck to cup his cheek. She softly kissed him and Damon's arm wrapped around her waist instinctually. His remaining hand pulled her hair out of its chignon and pushed her lips harder against his. Breaking the kiss, his lips ran across her neck and his eyes glowed red. He laved the skin with open-mouthed kisses as his fangs unsheathed. Emma moaned when they pierced the skin. As his pulls grew stronger and stronger, she ripped his shirt open. He pulled away blood dripping down his chin and she licked it away. Surprising him with her speed, she unbuttoned his pants and removed the rest of his clothes.

Every nerve ending in Damon's body felt like it was on fire. He didn't think he'd ever felt so turned on in his life. Emma was truly the queen of seduction, but he could give just as good as she could. He kissed the valley in between her breasts and she moaned in contentment when he enveloped a rosy bud with his mouth. Not wanting to lose control, Emma pinned his arms and sank down on his erect member. Grinding against him, Damon moaned at the erotic image of Emma, her hands trapped in her hair, purely lost to the pleasure. He was star struck. A large groan ripped from his throat when she moved just the right way against him, her pulsing muscles gripping his cock. He grabbed her arms and wrapped them around his neck. Bringing his hands into her hair, he utterly consumed her.

"Damon, I need more," she panted. Not needing to be told twice, Damon grabbed her hips and flashed them to a wall.

"I thought you'd never ask," he growled as he pressed the entire length of his body against her and pulled her thigh higher around his hips. He dropped kisses along her collarbone as his hands grabbed her ass and ground her closer against him. Emma's head dropped back against the wall.

"Yes, yes," she moaned. His thrusts were slow as he wanted to work her up and see the look of ecstasy burst when she came. His hand gently grazed her breast down to her stomach as he pressed her into the wall. He languidly kissed her and the heat between them rose to almost unbearable levels. His rhythm grew faster and faster. Emma moaned deeply when he pulled her legs up to his shoulders. One great thing about vampirism. Flexibility.

"Scream all you want, my love." At the words, Emma's orgasm barreled through her like a train and her nails dug into his shoulder blades, drawing blood. They both screamed as their orgasms ripped through them, each calling each other's name. Panting and sweaty, the couple collapsed against the wall and fell to the ground, still connected. Emma sighed in contentment when Damon licked, kissed, and bit his way up to her neck. He wiped a few strands of her unruly hair away from her neck and placed sweet kisses all over her face.

"That was a very nice reward," he finally panted. They both laughed and it wasn't long before exhaustion and sleep claimed them.

The next day, Damon and Emma had returned to Santa Barbara. Damon had gone to Blood Desire for a drink. Evidently, Erica was coming over later in the evening. At the bar, Alaric Saltzman was also having a drink. The human turned to see Damon sitting a few bar stools away from him and was shocked. The man who killed his wife was in the same room as him. Before he could make a move against him though, a pretty redhead sat down, blocking his view of Damon.

"Hi. I'm Jenna."

"Ric," Alaric greeted cordially. He looked across the gorgeous woman's shoulder, but Damon was gone. When Damon arrived at the house, he walked up the stairs and saw Emma eavesdropping in the hallway.

"How did you know all this? That I was adopted?" Damon heard. Erica.

"Emma typically doesn't consort with humans unless necessary. She likes to stick to her own kind," Stefan replied. "I was curious as to what makes you so special. Your birth certificate from city records. It says Erica Samadi Santa Barbara Hospital, but there's no record of your mother ever being admitted. And you know now that she can't get pregnant."

"What else do you know?"

"That's it. When I pressed Emma about it, she shot me down. What about those strange images you said you were seeing?"

"I've been seeing more, but now they're not just images. I saw myself in New York when the president declared they were going to war with Germany in WWII. I even saw myself watching as people died in the streets from the Black Plague. How is that possible? I'm only eighteen years old."

"You mentioned something about Emma and a spell?"

"Yeah. She said her and Mom sealed some memories away. Why would Emma do that?" Emma sighed and emerged in the door hallway, Damon holding her hand in support.

"I did it, because the truth is…I'm your mother," Emma muttered, steeling herself for whatever was to come from her secret.


	11. Pumped Up Kicks

Of all the reactions Emma was expecting to get laughter was not one of them. Damon and Emma looked at each other and then at Erica who was laughing hysterically on the bed.

"Oh, that's a good one! You? My mother?"

"Erica," Damon started.

"We're not kidding," Emma added. Erica then saw the look in her godmother's eyes.

"No, no. There's no way. Vampires can't have children."

"That's what we thought until we learned there was an exception to the rule," Damon replied. "You and Nathan are blood moon children. What that means is that bonded vampires can conceive children on a blood moon."

"You're lying!" Erica ran out of the bedroom to the living room. However, Emma and Damon had beat her to it with vampire speed.

"Unfortunately, we're not. If your memories hadn't been returning, I would have just left it alone, but I can't now," Emma said.

"What did you do to me?"

"When you were born, it was a dangerous time for Damon and I."

"You're Originals."

"Even Originals have enemies," Stefan muttered, coming down the stairs.

"My sister, Katherine, had always had it in for me. When you and Nathan were born, she had made many threats against us. I didn't want her to find out about you two, not until I'd put her down. I'd known Serena for centuries. She's a witch, so powerful she'd managed to stave off death since I was human. I asked her to seal away yours and Nathan's memories and nature. Every five years or so the current memories you'd acquired would disappear. Your vampire abilities are dormant. For all intents and purposes, you're human with a vampire lifespan."

"You abandoned me. You had Serena adopt us."

"Erica, it's very complicated," said Damon.

"You abandoned me!" Erica yelled.

"I had no choice," Emma replied, on the verge of tears.

"There's always a choice. I hope you rot in hell." As Erica stormed out of the house, Emma collapsed on her knees to the floor, tears trailing down her face. Damon joined her out of comfort. He then glanced at Stefan who looked slightly pained at seeing Emma like this.

"Now look at what you've done," Damon muttered. Stefan looked down and left the house.

"She hates me. I told you. She hates me," Emma cried.

"Shh. She doesn't hate you," Damon consoled, rubbing his wife's back and stroking her hair. "It was just a lot to process. She doesn't hate you."

"My daughter hates me! What's wrong with me? How do I always manage to screw up? First with losing you in Russia, now our daughter and son."

"Hey," said Damon, directing her to look in his eyes. "Us losing each other in Russia was not your fault. That was Stefan."

"I should have known though."

"It's not your fault. And neither is this. Look me in the eye and say it back."

"I'm not a child, Damon."

"Say it," Damon pleaded.

"It's not my fault."

"Now say it and mean it."

"It's not my fault," Emma replied more firmly.

"That's my girl. Don't worry. I'll fix this," Damon said, brushing her tears away.

"You always clean up my messes."

"I'm your husband. That's my job. Maybe one day you can return the favor." Emma nodded and hugged him. A few miles away, Erica was walking down the street when Stefan appeared in his car.

"Need a ride?" he asked.

"Go away. I've had enough vampires thank you very much."

"Just get in. You live across town. You won't make it back home by nightfall."

"I don't have a home."

"Yes, you do. Let me take you to your brother." Erica finally yielded and got into the small red sports car.

"Thanks."

"No problem. We are blood after all."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay. You don't have to. I just want to say one thing. As much as I hate my brother, I know him probably better than anyone. Damon's a lot of things, but the one thing about him that I've always admired is that he'll do whatever it takes to protect the people he loves. And he wouldn't have agreed to what was done to you, if he'd had any other options."

"I might have laid it on a bit thick back there. She just sprung it on me and I…I didn't know how to react."

"Just take some time. Come to terms with it and try to see their side of things."

The following morning, Emma and Damon were sleeping on the floor by the couch. Damon opened his eyes slightly when he heard the grandfather clock chime.

"Did we sleep here last night?" Emma asked groggily.

"Guess so," Damon replied, working out a kink in his back. Suddenly, they heard a banging at the door.

"Hello! I know you guys are home! I can see your cars!"

"Are you expecting someone?" Damon asked.

"No." Damon walked to the door and opened it to see Jenna outside.

"There she is," Jenna said, barging into the house.

"Hello to you too, Jen," Damon replied, closing the door.

"Weren't you supposed to be having a breakfast date this morning?" Emma asked her vampire friend.

"I did have a date this morning as it were since you were the one who forced me back into the dating world."

"And?" Emma prodded.

"This might have been the first time in my life where a guy said it's not you, its me and I believed him."

"Okay, this sounds like a real girly conversation so I'm going to split," said Damon, walking out the door.

"You sent me to seduce a guy who had stakes in the trunk of his car!" Jenna yelled at Emma.

"Yeah. So?"

"Stakes, Em! You may be impervious to regular wood, but I'm not."

"Did you seduce him or not, Jenna?"

"Yes. Of course. He's been real cagey about why he's in town. You want to give me some more background info?"

"He's looking for his wife's killer."

"Oh."

"It's Damon."

"OH!" Jenna groaned.

"Yeah. Listen, I know Ric. Deep down, he's a good guy, but I just don't have time to deal with this problem right now. Just keep him as far away from Damon and all Coven-related events as possible until I figure out what I'm going to do with him."

"Fine. You are coming to the wedding, right?"

"The Stevenson's? Wouldn't miss it. It's the biggest event I have booked for the year. It wouldn't look right if the CEO of Salvatore & Samadi Events didn't make an appearance."

Meanwhile at Erica's house, Damon had arrived to pay his daughter a visit.

"Knock, knock." Erica turned to see Damon in her bedroom doorway.

"What do you want?" Erica sighed.

"Listen, I'm sure I'm the last person you want to see right now, but I just want to talk."

"How's Emma…mom?"

"She's…okay. And you don't have to call her that if you're not comfortable with it. We always expected when the time came to tell you the truth that it'd be rough. I came because I wanted to find out more information about that guy you hit. Do you remember anything else about him?"

"I wish. I never really saw his face. He was wearing a hoodie. All I can remember is that there was these black boots coming towards me."

"I brought some vervain for you and Nathan. You can put it in jewelry, or you can even put it in food or drink, but as long as it's in you or on you, a vampire cannot control you. Until we find out who it is and what he wants, I want you to be careful."

"You almost sounded fatherly there for a moment," Erica teased.

"Well, history likes to repeat itself," Damon smirked back. He then noticed a bag on the floor. "You going somewhere?"

"The Stevenson event. I set up and then I change over there."

"You need a lift?"

"Sure." A few minutes later, Erica was locking the front door to the house, Damon learning against his blue Camaro when Erica received a call.

"Hello?" Erica answered as she walked to the convertible.

"Hello, Erica."

"Who is this?" Erica asked as Damon grew concerned and looked around.

"You hit me with your car. Is that a new one? You got away from me. You won't next time." Damon spotted the man and went to grab him, but he slipped away.

"Damn! He's a slippery one," Damon muttered, walking back to his car.

"Why me? What does he want with me, and if he's trying to kill me, then why call first?" Erica asked when they were on the road.

"We're predators, Erica. We hunt. We stalk. It's often as exciting as the kill."

"You said I was a blood moon child, but that my nature was sealed away. If the spell was ever undone, would I…"

"Turn into a vampire? Yes, but Emma and I would never let you turn into that. Unlike most vampires, we make sure our fledglings are well trained. I want you to take this." He pulled the compass out of his pocket.

"It's a watch."

"It's not just a watch. It's a compass, but it points to vampires. I want you to keep this. That way, you'll ever know if you're in danger."

Later that afternoon, Emma had arrived at the wedding reception and Erica was dancing with her friends. While Emma spoke with her clients, Alaric was across the room, Jenna's date for the evening, when he noticed Damon.

"Hey, I don't recognize you," said Alaric to Damon. "Alaric Saltzman. I'm the new history teacher at the college."

"Ah, the, uh, cursed faculty position."

"So I've been told."

"Damon. Salvatore."

"Salvatore, as in, uh, Emma?"

"My wife. You know her?"

"Old acquaintances. You live here your whole life?"

"On and off. Travel a bit."

"Really? Where? Around the States? Heh. I'm sorry. I'm nosy. I-I don't mean to pry. Look, it was nice meeting you."

"You, too." As Alaric walked away, Emma witnessed their meeting.

"Shit! Jenna!" Emma called.

"Yeah?"

"I thought I told you to keep Alaric away from any events Damon was attending."

"Huh? Damon's here? Oh crap. Ric." Emma sighed. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I'll deal with it." Meanwhile, in a corridor the man stalking Erica was talking to a short black-haired Asian girl.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "Leave the girl alone."

"I like her. I'm going to play with her."

"Don't be stupid. That girl is with the Originals."

"They don't scare me. They never have."

"Don't do this, Noah."

"You've got nothing to worry about. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. You will get what you came for. Just let me have my fun." Noah walked away and when he turned the corner, his neck was snapped. Klaus stood over the body.

"Well, well. If it isn't little Noah." He pulled out his cellphone and called his sister. "I have someone I think you'll be very interested to meet."

When Noah woke, he was in a secluded room on the property the wedding was being held at.

"You done with your nap, Sleeping Beauty?" Emma asked, sitting in a chair in the corner of the room. Damon and Stefan flanked her while the Originals and Erica stood by a table. Noah looked toward all the exits. "Nobody wants to kill you. We just wanna talk." Noah tried to run but Emma grabbed him a chokehold and bit him. He cried in pain. When Emma pulled away, his wound didn't heal and was smoking.

"What did you do to him?" Erica asked.

"It's a nifty little Original trick," Sage explained. "The Original families gave life to regular vampires. Which means we can also take it away. Our fangs contain a venom that can be injected into a vampire. It inhibits healing and is quite painful. The vampire will die if they don't receive the blood of the one who bit them in twenty-four hours."

"Now do you feel like talking?" Emma asked.

"Screw you," Noah spat. Elijah threw Emma a stake and she drove it into Noah's stomach.

"Wrong answer. Why are you stalking my human?"

"Cause it's fun."

"What do you want with Erica?"

"Katherine wants her." Emma pulled the collar of Noah's shirt away from the other side of his neck and noticed an all too familiar mark.

"You're one of her vampires. Where is she?"

"Like I'd tell you."

"You are going to die in twenty-four hours…no wait, twenty-three hours and fifty five minutes if you don't receive my blood. So I highly suggest you cooperate if you want to keep your undead existence."

"Katherine wants the girl to distract you."

"From what?"

"From what else? Opening the Prison."

"Prison? What's he talking about?" Stefan asked.

"Story for another time, Stef," said Damon.

"Where's the grimoire, Noah?" Emma asked.

"Check the journal. The old Founders journal."

"Who else is working with you?" Nik asked.

"No."

"Such a pity. All you had to do was give me a name. Now you lose your life." Emma removed the stake from his body and drove it through his heart.

"What do we—how are you gonna find the others now?" Erica asked. "You said you weren't going to kill him."

"Lesson 1, never trust one of Katherine's vampires," said Elijah. "She gets them so wrapped around her finger that you can never break them loose. The best thing that ever happened to him was freeing him of her." Upset, Erica walked away.

"There's no way that idiot was workin' alone," said Damon.

"What's going on? Why are you trying to open the Prison?" Stefan asked.

"To make a long story short, we're trying to open it to release the rest of Emma's family," Rose replied.

"So the grimoire. That was Emily Bennett's right? That's what you need to reverse the spell."

"Look at you puttin' the pieces together. Good for you. Well, it's out there now. Let the games begin," said Emma.

"I could help you, guys," said Stefan.

"Yeah, no thanks. I'm sure you have some hidden agenda," Damon replied.

"No. Nothing hidden about it. No lies. No deception."

"If I agree?"

"I'll help you."

"Why should I trust you?"

"Because I'm your brother."

"No, that's not gonna cut it."

"Because as much as I hate you, I care for Emma's happiness."

"Okay. You're in, but you make one bad move and you're done."

Later that night, Emma and Damon returned home.

"I heard you went over to Erica's this morning," Emma said as she turned the water on in the bathtub.

"I did. I think she's coming around," said Damon as he slowing unzipped her dress.

"Damon, I should…"

"Shh. No more talking tonight. Let me just feel you." The dress pooled around her feet and she leaned her back into his chest.

"You take such good care of me," she moaned as his lips grazed her neck and he removed her bra.

"Always have, always will." He moved his hands past her waist, sliding one hand between her skin and underwear. Emma released a guttural moan in response, arching her back. "How do you feel?"

"Incredible," Emma breathed as Damon slipped her panties off.

"Good." He turned off the water and shed his clothes before entering the bathtub with his wife. Sitting across from her, Damon grabbed one of her feet and massaged the ball and toes.

"Oh, you're an angel," she moaned.

"You know I'm far that," Damon laughed.

"You always know what I need," Emma whispered, relaxing.

"Well, after being together for over two thousand years, I'd hope so." Emma closed her eyes in content and Damon dropped her foot into the water gently. He brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face and kissed her sweetly. Emma moaned and wrapped her arms around his waist. Stroking his back, he deepened the kiss cupping her face with his hands. Her hands carded through his hair, pulling them flush against each other. When the kiss ended, they breathed heavily, their foreheads resting against each other. Regaining his breath, Damon licked and nipped at her neck.

The sensations began to overload her body and she arched her back, his hands caressing the skin of her back. She drew his mouth to hers and when their lips touched, she pushed him inside her. Groans resounded through the room as Emma rocked against him and Damon soon met his wife's pace. Their hips grinding against each other, water sloshing in the tub, they both met their mutual release. Emma collapsed against his chest as he stroked the sweaty strands of her hair and kissed her forehead. Emma then voiced her one fear.

"Do you think I'll ever get my little girl back?" she asked nervously. Damon gripped her waist tightly in reassurance.

"I think you'll get more than that, my love. Much more than that. Our family will be whole again."


	12. One Step Closer

_Capri, 1530_

Just off the Amalfi Coast on the island of Capri, the Original Family, known to the Italians as only Il Famiglia, responded to the call of Damon Salvatore. Almost a millennium had passed since they had been turned into immortals. His message had sounded urgent. Elijah and Rose were the first to arrive, Sage, Stefan, and Klaus following close behind.

"What's with all the secrecy, brother?" Rose asked. "What was so urgent that you couldn't tell us in your letter?"

"A secret. I've been holding for almost five hundred years."

"Where is Emmalyne?" Klaus asked.

"This way." Damon led them down the marble-floored halls to a white corridor. Stone artifacts lined the hallway leading to a closed door. Damon removed a key from his pocket and unlocked the door. All of Damon's guests were shocked to see Emma comatose in the hidden bedroom. "Here she is. My Emmy." The pain was apparent in Damon's expression and voice.

"What happened to her?" Elijah asked.

"She's been in a coma since 1050. Damn werewolves attacked her. And then they had to show up."

"The Circle of Thorns," Sage realized.

"Damn those necromancers," Stefan cursed. "What did they do to her?"

"The Ceremony of Six. They ripped her soul out of her body and sent it to Hell."

"Why keep this to yourself for so long?" Klaus asked.

"I wanted to find the solution myself. I know it sounds selfish, but I can't help it. She drives me crazy. I said so many terrible things to her right before I lost her. I promised myself I'd make it up to her and find the cure. And I did. Bonded vampire blood blessed by three witches." He removed a small vial of blood from his pocket and fed it to her. Emma's cheeks warmed. With a sharp intake of breath, her eyes shot open, glowing a vibrant amethyst.

_Present Day_

"Damon? Damon, are you all right?" Emma asked, shaking Damon out of his dream. He growled in protest.

"I'm up. I'm up."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he replied, rubbing his eyes. Emma knew he wouldn't want to talk about what he'd dreamt, but she had a good idea what it was.

"Capri?" Damon looked away.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay, but you know we should. It's been five hundred years, dear."

"And I don't want to talk about it for that much longer."

"What if I want to talk about it?"

"Ugh. Emma."

"You need to stop beating yourself up about it. It wasn't your fault that the Circle came for me."

"That's not what I'm upset about."

"Then what? _Amor_, I want to know."

"If we hadn't gotten into that fight, then you wouldn't have gone out that night. They would have never gotten you." Emma closed her eyes. She remembered that fight well. Emma had been upset that Damon hadn't been paying any attention to her and she'd acted out a bit. She never said she was perfect. She had flirted with a few human men and then to top it off Stefan of all people. Needless to say, Damon was pissed, but she'd never thought her innocent flirting would make him doubt her feelings for him. The thought of him doubting her had made her so angry that she left their Spanish house in a flurry, needing a good feed.

"That wasn't your fault."

"Hell, it wasn't. If I'd just paid more attention to you…" Emma placed a finger over his lips.

"Shh. If it was anyone's fault, it was mine. I was the one who pushed you too far. But if you still feel guilty about it, just know that you have the rest of eternity to make it up to me."

"God, I love you."

"Well, it's a good thing I feel the same way then, isn't it?" They both smiled and were about to kiss when their door slammed open.

"Are you two ever going to get up or just be smutty all day?" Stefan asked snarkily. Damon growled in return.

"Get out, Stefan!" Emma yelled, pulling the sheet up around her body.

"If I see something I haven't seen before, I'll throw a dollar at it."

"That's it! I've had it with you!" Damon yelled about to pin Stefan to the wall.

"Damon, wait. He's just trying to get you riled up. Stefan, please go downstairs. We'll meet you in a minute."

"As you wish." Stefan left and Emma rose from the bed feeling Damon's anger rolling off him in waves.

"Settle down. He only says things like that because he gets this reaction out of you," Emma said calmly as she hugged her husband from behind and kissed his shoulder. She felt him instantly relax and smile. A few minutes later, the couple got dressed and walked downstairs.

"Alright, we have some very important business to discuss," said Damon to Stefan, Klaus, Sage, Rose, and Elijah.

"We have lots to do," Emma added. "Now that we're all friends and working toward a common goal. In order to open the tomb, we need to find the journal to get the grimoire to undo the spell. First things first, Stefan, you're on journal duty."

"How do we know that this journal will hold the location of the grimoire? We're really going to take the word of this vampire? He seemed like a bit of a dimwit," Stefan replied.

"He has a point," Sage added.

"In lieu of any other options?" Emma replied.

"What about our mystery vampire? Dimwit obviously wasn't working alone, so whoever is out there knows who we are," said Klaus.

"And I don't like that disadvantage, so...chop, chop." Stefan then left.

"Rose, Elijah, keep an eye on Stefan," Damon ordered.

"Have Sage go," said Rose, not wanting anything to do with her former lover.

"I want you to go, Rose," Damon insisted.

"Well, I don't want to go with him."

"I'm your brother. You listen to what I say. I said you're going. That's that. End of story. Now vamoose." Rose pouted and walked out the door, Elijah trailing behind her.

"She's going to hate you," said Sage.

"Fine by me. I'd rather her be with Elijah than that Trevor guy. He's sketchy and new. I mean really? Why lower yourself to those standards?" Damon retorted as Emma laughed.

_Capri, 1530_

"I missed you so much," Damon murmured as he laid kisses down Emma's shoulder.

"The feeling's mutual," Emma replied, carding her hand through this hair and guiding his lips to hers. He brushed her hair away from her face and looked into her eyes, letting her see all the emotion he'd kept bottled inside for 480 years.

"I love you," he choked out.

"I love you more."

"Not possible," he murmured before sliding inside her. Emma gasped, clutching at the bed sheets. He pulled her hips tighter against hers. She moaned in return, wrapping her legs around his waist. They returned each others thrusts harder and harder, both crying and moaning at the pleasure. Veins appeared around both their eyes and they both bit into each other's neck. The shared blood both propelled them toward orgasm and they collapsed on the bed. A few minutes later, Emma heard a knock at the door.

"Yes?" Emma called. Serena then entered the room.

"Excuse me, Emma, but there's a Miss Pearl waiting for you downstairs."

"I see. Tell her Damon and I will be down soon. Thank you, Serena." Serena nodded and closed the door. "Fun's over."

"Hmm. No." He kissed her and a few minutes later, Damon and Emma walked downstairs, arm in arm.

"It's good to see you, Pearl," said Emma.

"Although your timing could have been better," Damon added.

"Perhaps we could talk outside?" Pearl suggested. The two nodded and walked outside. "How long do you two plan on stay here?"

"Why do you ask?"

"A human dropped this off at the apothecary. She asked that it be sold at a reduced rate."

"I don't follow," Emma replied.

"Try it." Emma poured the elixir into her hand and it burned.

"What in…Vervain. Why is there ver…they know."

"They're trying to find us and they're getting crafty about it."

"Townspeople ingesting vervain. That's inconvenient," Damon muttered.

"Send a notification to all vampires in the area. It's time to move on. Immediately."

_Present Day_

At the university, Alaric was making copies of pages in a journal. When he returned his office, he sensed something was off.

"Hello? Hello? Someone there?" He reached for a blow dart in his desk door and shot a stake. However, Stefan caught the wood.

"You shouldn't have done that." Alaric reloaded the gun, but Stefan grabbed it and pushed Alaric against his desk. "Have a seat. What is this? Compressed air? You make it yourself? Who are you? I'm not going to hurt you...Unless you try that again. Now...who are you?"

"I'm a teacher."

"Are we going to have to do this the hard way?"

"I'm also a historian. And while researching California, I-made a few discoveries about your town."

"So you show up like Van Helsing. Come on. Tell me the truth."

"My wife was a parapsychologist. She spent her life researching paranormal activity in this area. It was her work that led me here."

"Where's your wife?"

"Dead. A vampire killed her."

"Where's the Founders journal?"

"What do you want with it?"

"Where is it?"

"It's on my desk."

"No, it's not."

"It was on my desk."

"How long have you been aware of me?"

"I learned just recently. What about your brother?"

"You met Damon."

"Who do you think killed my wife?"

"Are you certain it was Damon?"

"I witnessed it."

"If you're here for revenge, this is going to end very badly for you."

"I just want to find out what happened to my wife."

"I thought you just said that Damon..."

"Yeah. I saw him draining the life out of her. He must have heard me coming. He just...disappeared. So did her body. They never found her."

"Damon can never know why you're here. He'll kill you without blinking."

"I can take care of myself."

"No, you can't. I can help you. If you let me."

At Serena's house, Damon was cooking when Erica entered the room.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Emma and I thought it'd be a good idea to spend family night with you three."

"I thought you two were too busy trying to get into The Prison."

"That's what minions are for."

"Where's your brother?"

"Don't know, don't care."

"You're his brother. Of course you care."

"There was a time when I trusted him more than anyone. That time has long passed."

"Trust breeds trust. You have to give it to get it."

"Are you lecturing me?"

"Do you need to be lectured?"

"If releasing Emma's siblings gets her to smile like she did when we first met, I'll tolerate my brother's shenanigans. I just want Emma to be happy. I'm sure you can understand that."

"I can understand that you would do anything for her, yes."

"Then you understand what I will do if anyone gets in my way." A few minutes later, Emma had taken over the cooking while Damon played a video game with Nathan.

"You said you never played this thing before."

"I'm a fast learner. Quick reflexes." Nathan's phone ring, but he canceled the call. "Who are you dodging?"

"This girl Anna. She can be, uh, persistent."

"Is she hot?"

"Yeah yeah, but she can be weird."

"Hot trumps weird, trust me. How do you think I ended up with that one?"

"I heard that," Emma called. The doorbell rang and Damon went to answer it.

"Well, well. Look who's here." Emma and Damon walked out the door and Stefan told them the journal was gone.

"Who took it?" Damon asked.

"I don't know."

"You know what, it's that teacher. There's something really off about him."

"He doesn't know anything, Damon," said Emma, slightly alarmed.

"She's right. Somebody got to it right before me."

"Who else knew it was there?"

"Nathan."

"No. Damon, no. Leave him out of it!" Emma urged.

"Why? What's the big deal?"

"Damon!" They all went inside.

"So...I heard you found a really cool journal from back in the day. Who else did you show it to?" Damon asked Nathan.

"Huh?"

"Don't ask questions, just spill."

"You're kidding me, right?"

"Nate, did you tell anyone other than Mr. Saltzman about the Founder's Journal?" Emma asked.

"Why is everybody so obsessed with that thing?"

"Who else did you tell?"

"Just that girl Anna."

"The hot weird one?" Damon asked.

"Yeah."

"Wait, who is Anna?" Stefan asked.

"That's what I want to find out. How do you know her?"

"I just know her. She wants me to meet her at the grill tonight."

"Perfect. I'll drive. Come on." Damon left with Nathan and Emma walked outside to meet Elijah.

"What's going on?" she asked. "I don't buy Stefan's story."

"You're right. He's lying," said Elijah. "He has a copy of the journal."

"That little jerk. I'm going to ring his neck."

"We have bigger problems. Anna has the original copy," said Rose.

"Anna. Anna. Wait, Pearl's little girl Anna?" Rose nodded. "Where is she?"

"Seashore Inn. We already tracked her. Room 313."

"I think it's time we paid Anna a visit then, don't you think?" By an inn on the beach, Anna entered her room and turned the light on. She was surprised to see Emma sitting in a chair her legs crossed. "Hello, Annabelle." Anna hissed, but Elijah grabbed her by the throat, throwing her into the wall.

"We're Originals. Show some respect," Elijah chided.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to find me."

"How long have you been here?" Emma asked.

"I arrived a few months ago."

"How did you know about the spell on The Prison?"

"I didn't say much back then, which means I heard everything."

"So if you've been here the whole time, then why are we just crossing paths right now?"

"I like to use others to do my dirty work."

"What did you find in the journal?"

"According to this, the grimoire was given to the town mayor. You're going to help me find it."

"And why would I help you?"

"Cause you and I both want that tomb open."

"Sorry. Originals don't work with vampires that are half their age." Emma grabbed the journal and left with Rose and Elijah. "Call the others to the old cemetery." A few minutes later, Stefan was digging up a grave.

"Well, well, what do you know? This is an interesting turn of events," Damon drawled as Klaus and Sage appeared behind him.

"Bad move, mate," Klaus smirked.

"I can't let you bring them back. I'm sorry."

"So am I. For thinking for even a second that I could trust you."

"You're not capable of trust. The fact that you're here means that you read the journal and you were planning on doing this yourself."

"Of course I was going to do it myself, because the only one I can count on is me!"

"And me," Emma whispered. Stefan whipped around, but it was too late. Emma snapped his neck in a flash and grabbed the grimoire. "Ladies and gentlemen, we're one step closer."

"What do you want to do with him?" Sage asked, motioning to Stefan.

"Leave him. He's not worth the effort." Emma handed the grimoire to her brother. "Nik, hide it for the night. I need a good feed. Who else is up for a trip to LA?" The Originals smirked.

"I'll meet you there," said Nik before speeding off.

A few hours later, Emma flagged down a car by an alley near a club.

"Please! Please, help! My husband. He's been hurt! Please help him!"

"It's dangerous to be out here at night, little girl," said the sleazy man Emma had targeted as another guy looked over Damon. "It's not safe."

"No. No, it's not safe." The man noticed Damon feeding on his friend viciously. He turned around and veins crawled down Emma's face. He then noticed the rest of the Original Family feeding on patrons from the club.

"What are you?"

"Your worst nightmare." And all the man saw after that were fangs and blood.


	13. Make A Move

Voices. Screaming. Yelling. Threatening. Emma tried to block it all out as she took a sip of her merlot in front of the fireplace. Everything had gone to shit in a matter of seconds. Anna had taken Erica and now all the Originals were fighting about what to do. Except for Emma. She stood quietly in front of the fireplace, watching as the flames twisted and turned. She heard a crash. There went her favorite Monet.

"You idiot! How could you let this happen! I could rip your heart out and not think twice about it," Damon snarled at his brother.

"I've heard that before," Stefan quipped. His eyes glowing red, Damon threw Stefan across the room. However, his aim was slightly off and he crashed onto a table. Emma's bottle of merlot spilt all over the floor. She watched as the red liquid splashed all over the white carpet. What a waste. All the Originals turned to watch Emma's reaction. That bottle was from 1784, the earliest ever made, and Emma was as sensitive about her wine as Damon was about his bourbon. Emma placed her glass down and turned around, her eyes flaming red. Really bad sign. Emma's eyes only ever turned red when she was preparing to use her powers at their maximum potential.

"That bottle was over two hundred years old, YOU CHILDREN!" Pain accosted all the Originals as Emma controlled the electricity in their brain, ramping it up to levels that would kill a human.

"Emma, stop," Damon pleaded.

"If you all would get your head out of your asses, you'd realized that arguing and throwing things will not bring Erica back! While you all have been acting like newbie vampire children, I've been coming up with a fucking plan! Now grow up!" Emma's eyes returned to their normal brown and the pain ceased. "Stefan, you owe me a bottle of Merlot." Stefan's phone then rang.

"Erica? Are you okay?" Stefan answered.

"She's fine. For now. Tell me you have the grimoire and she'll stay fine," Anna replied.

"I can get it."

"Which means your family has it. And I have a Bennett witch. So one of you had better meet me in the very public town square in thirty minutes so we can safely discuss how fun it's gonna be to work together." She hung up.

"Where are you going?" Damon asked, seeing Emma head for the door.

"To deal with Anna. The rest of you go to the Seashore Inn. Room 313. Stefan, you're going to convince Bonnie's grandmother to help us with the tomb. I'm going to need three witches."

"And how am I supposed to do that?" Stefan asked.

"I don't give a rat's ass! Get Erica and Bonnie and don't fuck it up!" She then slammed the door so hard the house shook. A few minutes later, Emma saw Anna sitting at a bench in the town square. She flashed over to the bench, sitting down.

"I told you. I work alone."

"Yeah, so do I. But you're minus a witch and I'm minus a spellbook. So what do you say?" Emma laughed. "What?"

"You really are naïve. Haven't you ever heard of the rule: always have a back-up? I don't need a Bennett to open the tomb. I'll have Serena do it and by now my family has rescued Erica and Bonnie from your hotel room. Anna, you have nothing."

Meanwhile, at the Seashore Inn, Damon had kicked down the door of Anna's hotel room where Ben, a vampire Anna had turned, was waiting. The young vampire was standing right in the ray of sunshine pouring in and moved to the bed. Sage and Rose opened the curtains while Klaus and Elijah got Bonnie and Erica outside. Damon grabbed Ben and pushed him against a wall. He broke a post on the bed and staked the young vampire with it in the stomach.

"When the sun goes down, leave town. If I ever see you again, I will kill you."

That night, the Originals were walking through the forest with the grimoire, Serena, Erica, Bonnie, and her grandmother. Emma led the group, closing her eyes.

"What's she doing?" Bonnie asked.

"Emma has the gift of dimensional awareness. The tomb is hidden inside a separate dimension. Emma just has to find the door to it," said Serena.

"And all your yammering doesn't help the process," Emma added snappily.

"So what exactly is in this tomb?" Erica asked.

"Our family," Elijah explained. "And some other non-desirable vampires. In 1865, twenty-seven vampires were gathered and imprisoned by Emma for attempting to commit treason."

"Here. It's right here. I can feel it. The energy on both sides. This is the bridge," said Emma. She knelt down to the ground and pushed away the debris. Imbedded in the ground was a metal symbol. Emma pushed the symbol down and twisted it to the left. Two metal posts rose from the ground, an impression in the middle for two keys. "Start the stability enchantments." The three witches began their spell casting just as Emma and Damon prepared the Artemis and Apollo rings for the metal posts. "On three. One…two…three." They twisted the rings in the post and an open door shimmered into view.

"It worked," said Bonnie.

"Of course it worked," said Serena.

"Alright, Elijah, Nik, Serena, and I will go in. The rest of you. Stay out here. Make sure Anna doesn't try to do something stupid. Bonnie, Sheila, you can go. Erica, please go with them." The three nodded and left.

"Be safe," said Damon to Emma.

"Of course." The three Mikaelsons and Samadi witch then walked through the portal and into the tomb.

"Well, that was your first mistake," said a voice from behind a tree. Damon and Stefan were shocked.

"No. No way you're that suicidal," said Stefan.

"Hey, boys. Miss me?"

"Katherine," Damon growled.

"You bitch!" Sage yelled, attacking Katherine. "You took my Finn away from me!"

"Get off of me! I'm trying to help you!" Katherine yelled, kicking Sage off her.

"That's a good one. Real believable, Kat," Damon muttered.

"I'm telling the truth."

"That's a first."

"You need to get them out of there. Now!"

"And why should I trust anything that comes out of your mouth?"

"Because Emma will die!"

"What are you talking about?" Stefan asked. However, before they could prod further, Ben arrived.

"Thought I told you to leave," said Damon.

"I considered it. Then I thought, screw you." A vampire then flashed past them into the portal. Anna.

"Do you really think that Anna cares about you? Hm? You're disposable," said Stefan.

"I don't care. She already gave me what I want."

"Are you going to say eternal life? You really that stupid?"

"You know, I've heard about you. You don't feed. You're not strong enough to beat me." Ben rushed toward Stefan, but Katherine grabbed him. Her touch mentally seared him and he screamed in pain. Damon then kicked Ben into a tree and grabbed him by the throat.

"No one attacks my brother, but me."

"Is that all you got?"

"No. I got this." His eyes glowed red and Ben went up in flames. Damon then turned to Katherine. "You helped us."

"You willing to listen to me now?"

"Talk. Fast."

"You should have never gone in that tomb."

"I said fast, Kat."

"I was forced to have Nik dagger them."

"By who?"

"Who do you think? The Circle. They were going to kill Emma if I didn't comply. Turns out they did it anyway."

"Spain."

"Yeah. _She's_ still alive. I've been hunting her and that bloody Circle ever since."

"Who are you talking about?" Stefan asked.

"Lydia O'Connell."

"What? No. I killed that bitch with my bare hands for what she did to Emma," said Damon, remembering the night Emma had been cursed.

"Well, evidently you didn't do a good enough job. That whole family's immortal now. They have a huge stockpile of vampire blood. This has all been a trap from the beginning. A very elaborate trap."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it, Damon! The Circle blackmails me to force Nik to dagger my siblings and not let anyone know of my involvement. Nik was after me and Elijah and Emma were after Nik. They thought we'd all kill each other by the end of it. And now we all know the truth. So they've switched to Plan B."

"Which is?"

In the tomb, Serena, Emma, Nik, and Elijah had found the part of the Prison that had held their siblings. Emma opened the three remaining coffins. "Kol, Finn, Rebekah. Let's move them out of here. Quickly." Elijah and Nik removed the daggers from their chests just as Damon ran into the room at super speed. "Damon, what are you doing?"

"We have to get out of here! Now!"

"What are you talking about? What's wrong?"

"There's a bomb! We've got to go! Now!"

"A bomb? How? What?"

"Emma, move it! Now! It's a trap set by the Circle!" Damon yelled as they all ran out toward the tomb's exit. Just as they reached the doorway, the bomb exploded.


	14. Diamond Eyes

Voices yelled out orders in the white hallways of Santa Barbara General Hospital. As Emma was wheeled in on a stretcher, severely burnt, she realized Damon was one of those voices before she fell unconscious.

"She needs a three unit transfusion, stat," Damon yelled to the ER doctor.

"We're on it."

"Damon, what the hell happened?" Sheriff Forbes asked, having heard the news.

"We were set up."

"By who?"

"Witches. Specifically the Circle of Thorns Coven."

"Who are they?"

"Necromancers who have lived for centuries. The O'Connell family has been drinking vampire blood to increase their longevity. They've wanted the Original Families dead for centuries. Emma and I were recovering the rest of Emma's family who were trapped in the prison. We didn't think the coven would have placed a bomb in the place."

"Did everybody make it out?"

"We lost one. Excuse me. I want to check on Emma."

"Of course."

"Oh. I need you to make a notification."

"The casualty wasn't one of yours?"

"No. It was Serena."

"Oh God. Her kids."

"Don't worry about that. I'll take care of it. Just let them know what's happened."

"Sure. I'll call you."

"Thanks." Damon walked down the hallway to Emma's hospital room. She was already through her second blood transfusion and her skin looked much better. Damon sat down in a chair next to the bed and took her hand. She didn't respond to his touch.

"Em, hear me. Don't leave me. I finally got you back. Don't leave me." He kissed her forehead.

Three days passed and Emma's condition hadn't changed. Damon was starting to worry. She seemed to be perfectly fine, but what if the explosion had caused some type of internal or neurological damage. Maybe she couldn't wake up. Damon turned his head when he heard footsteps behind him.

"Good to see you up and about, Kol."

"Well, you try being locked up in a box for almost a millennium. It takes awhile for all your joints to work properly again."

"Get bored with torturing Katherine?"

"Well, she was the one who forced Nik to dagger us."

"Only because the Circle threatened her with Emma's life."

"We'll deal with it later. Why isn't she up yet?"

"I don't know. I'm beginning to think she doesn't want to wake up. What if she saw Serena before she fell unconscious?"

"Or she's just being lazy. Let me get in her head."

"You know as well as I, Kol, that you don't have that power, only Kathe…wait, did you have her blood?"

"What can I say? I was hungry. The effect of her blood won't last long." Damon nodded in understanding and Kol sat down on Emma's right side. He placed his hand on Emma's forehead and entered her mind. He was surprised to see no surrounding backgrounds in Emma's unconscious. Everything was white, like a sterile hospital room. "Well, this is boring."

"Entering someone's mind without permission is quite rude, little brother," said a monotone voice. Kol turned around and saw Emma.

"Well, I never did like rules much."

"That's true," Emma chuckled. "Katherine's power won't last long. So say what you want to say and then leave. I want to mourn the loss of my dearest friend in peace."

"You're dumb."

"Excuse me?"

"I told you attaching yourself to a human could be dangerous."

"She wasn't just any human, Kol. She was a witch. I thought you respected them."

"I do. But I don't respect those who turn my big sister into a weak human."

"I am not weak."

"Oh yeah? Then why are you still locked up in your own mind?"

"That's my business."

"And now you've made it mine. The whole family's worried sick about you. Finn and Bekah want to see their big sister who saved them from an eternity of rotting in a coffin. Damon wants you back. You have a family. You have responsibilities whether you want them or not."

"Where's the fun Kol who didn't give a rat's ass about anyone?"

"He's on break. Besides, that guy always had the most fun with his big sister and he can't really do that when she's unconscious. So you have two choices. You can either drive yourself crazy and rot inside your own mind or you can take my hand and move forward."

"You'll help me?"

"Always, sissy."

"I saw the flames. It consumed her. There was nothing left. I did this, Kol. It's my fault. I asked her to help me open the Prison."

"You didn't plant the bomb. The Circle is to blame for that. Now are you going to sit here and mope about it or are you going to kick some witch ass? It's your choice." Kol saw a fire light in her eyes and she took his hand. With a gasp, Emma woke up in Kol's arms, hugging him and crying.

"Shh. I'm right here," Kol consoled, kissing the crown of head.

"I'm going to kill them."

"I know you will and I'll be there to help you do it. We all will."

A few days later, Damon had brought Emma home to her family. Having Kol, Rebekah, and Finn back had restored her and revived the old Emma Damon had longed to see for centuries.

"Where is she?" Emma asked Finn, who was sitting on the couch with Sage in his arms. She then heard a scream. "Never mind." Emma took off.

"Emma, wait," said Nik.

"Try to stop me and I'll break your hand," Emma replied sweetly before walking down to the cellar.

"Glad to see she hasn't changed," Finn chuckled.

"You have no idea, man. No idea," Damon sighed.

When Emma reached the cellar, she saw Rebekah torturing Katherine.

"You were always quite good at torture, Bex."

"Emma!" Rebekah yelled, hugging her sister. "You want a crack at her?"

"No. I think you've done enough. Release her."

"What? She had me daggered. I'm not letting the bitch go."

"I had no choice," Katherine moaned.

"She's right. Let her go. We're playing right into the Coven's hands with this nonsense."

"Fine. Whatever," Rebekah pouted, leaving.

"Sorry about that," Emma said to Katherine, removing her twin from her bindings.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up."

"I was a bit out of it."

"I heard. I'm sorry about Serena."

"I'm sure you are," Emma replied sarcastically.

"Emma, don't do that."

"Let's just not talk about it okay? You're only alive for one reason. You have info on the Circle of Thorns. You still have some worth."

"Emma, I'm your sister."

"Yes, my sister who almost let me get blown up. If you had really been my sister, you've would've come to me sooner and explained what was going on, not go behind my back and try to catch the Circle on your own. You're worse than Nik. Now, we're going to do things my way. If you really want to be my sister again, you're going to have to prove it to me." Emma then leaned against the wall.

"You don't look so good."

"That's because she needs to rest," said Damon, his arms crossed as he entered the cellar.

"This is ridiculous. I rested for a week in the hospital. I'm fine," said Emma as Damon escorted her upstairs to the couch in the living room, Katherine following. "When I go back to work…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. No going back to work yet. You just got out of the hospital."

"I'll make you some tea," said Katherine cheerfully. Emma and Damon looked at each other, worried.

"What is with her?" Emma asked. However, Damon was more concerned about Emma at the moment. "Damon, I'm fine. That week I was in the hospital was the most boring month of my life."

"Boredom is underrated."

"Boredom is boring and you can't stop me."

"Three days a week."

"No."

"Half-days. That's my final offer."

"Or what?"

"Or I will withhold my husbandly attention."

"You don't mean that," said Emma seductively as she kissed his neck.

"Give me strength."

"Fine."

"Ah, she gave in to my superior will."

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Stefan opened the door and was surprised to see Sheriff Forbes.

"I'm here to see Damon," she said.

"Ah sure. Okay."

"Sheriff, what a surprise."

"Sorry to bother you but we need to talk."

"Come on in." Damon led the Sheriff out to the back yard. "I hope you understand the secrecy. Emma just got back from the hospital and with Serena gone, I think she's got enough on her plate. I don't want to worry her."

"I understand."

"So…what do you need?"

"There been an attack. A female victim, throat tore out, completely drained of blood. The council is in an uproar. We thought we were past this."

"I'll handle it…personally. Do you have something the victim was wearing during the attack? I might be able to pick up a scent."

"Here. This was her jacket." Damon escorted Liz off the grounds and then went to check Emma who was watching TV on the couch with Kol.

"Hey, I got to go out for a while."

"Something wrong?"

"No. Just a little errand to run. I'll be back soon."

"Okay. What'd the Sheriff want?"

"Just some housekeeping for the council. Nothing to worry about. Kol, keep an eye on that one. She's sneaky."

"You know I will," Kol replied. Damon then left and caught the scent of the offending vampire by a warehouse near the pier. He went inside the warehouse when Logan Fell shot him.

"I have tons of these wood bullets, so nothing funky."

"You don't wanna do this, trust me."

"That's what you get."

"For what?"

"For your wife turning me into this!"

"She killed you. She didn't turn you."

"I knew you'd turn up eventually and I'm glad you did because I have some questions."

"Me first. Who turned you?"

"How should I know? Last thing I remember is, I'm about to stake your brother and then Emma grabbed me. That's it! Until I wake up in the ground behind a used car dealership on highway 4. Somebody buried me."

"It happens."

"Emma bit me. It had to be her."

"You have to have vampire blood in your system when you die. She didn't do that! Some other vampire found you, gave you their blood."

"Who?"

"That's what I wanna know."

"Dude, it's not like the welcome wagon was waiting with a bundt cake and a handbook. It's been a learn as you go process you know. One minute, I'm a small town on the rise news guy and next thing I know, I can't get into my house because my foot won't go through the door."

"Don't you know your vampire history? You have to be invited in."

"I know. I live alone."

"Oh, that sucks!"

"So now, I am at the Ramada, watching pay per view all day, eating everything in sight including housekeeping."

"It could be worse," said Damon as he pulled out a wooden slug from his leg.

"All I can think about its blood and killing people. I can't stop killing people. I keep killing and I like it. I'm conflicted."

"Welcome to the club. Wait! Cops only found one body."

"I left one. I was tired but I've been hiding the rest of bodies. There right back there. They're just piling up! Why am I so overly emotional? All I can think about is my ex-girlfriend. I wanna be with her and bite her and stuff."

"Well, you probably love her. Anything you felt before will be magnified now. You've gotta learn how to control that."

"What about walking in the sun? I'm a morning person. You can walk in the sun."

"I'm an Original. We're special."

"How can you walk around in the sun? I know other vampires who can, but they won't give up the secret."

"Who turned you?"

"How do you walk in the sun?"

"Who turned you?"

"You know, I've been really nice so far but I will kill you!"

"Then you'll never know. You're not answering my question."

"You first!"

"It seems we're at a bit of an impasse then, doesn't it?"

"I've things to do, people to kill. Guess I'll be needing a little head start." Logan shot Damon a couple of times and left. When Damon dragged himself to the house, Sage brought him a wet towel to clean up the blood with.

"What the hell happened to you?" Nik asked.

"Logan Fell is a vampire and when I find him again, I'm gonna destroy him limb by limb," Damon seethed, pulling his shirt off. "I was ambushed and shot. Now I'm vengeful. Just got to find him."

"And how are you going to do that?" Finn asked.

"Logan still thinks like a human. He likes his whores. That's how we'll find him." Damon got on his computer and looked up the closest strip clubs to the warehouse district.

"Boy, lot has changed," said Finn.

"Yeah, there's no regular cat houses anymore," said Nik.

"Another casualty of the digital age. Categories. Blondes, Asians, busty, mature, equestrian. Choice, choice, choice. It's very efficient. Very American," Damon replied.

"You sound almost nostalgic," said Nik.

"What ever happened to the good old days with four girls on a street corner undercutting each other? Ah, here we go. The Red Talon. It's the closest to his hideout." Unknown to Damon, Emma had been listening in to Damon's conversation with Kol. The two quietly left the house.

"Where are we going?" Kol finally asked.

"To The Red Talon. I'm itching to kill something." At super speed, the two old vampires arrived at The Red Talon. Emma kicked down the door. She immediately spotted Logan and Kol dragged him out into a back alley.

"What the hell, man?" Logan yelled. Emma then shot him.

"Payback's a bitch, isn't it? Damon tried his way. Now, we're going to try mine," Emma said as Damon arrived with Nik and Finn.

"Emma."

"Watch and learn, boys. This is how you really get someone to talk." She pulled a tire iron out of her car. "Now, we're gonna try this one more time, Logan. Who turned you?"

"I don't know."

"This tire iron could take your head clean off. Is that your final answer?"

"How can you side with the humans?"

"I don't side with anyone. You shot my husband. That pisses me off! I want you dead. Who turned you?"

"I don't know!"

"Oh well, you're screwed!"

"Wait. I do know!"

"You're lying."

"The Thorny Circle."

"You mean the Circle of Thorns? Wow, you really are stupid! They're witches. They can't turn humans."

"They have vampire blood. Tons of it. And I know who put that bomb in the prison. The one that killed Serena."

"If you're lying to me, I will end you."

"I'm not lying. It was John. John Gilbert. He's working with them."

"Serena's ex-husband. Why am I not surprised? Well, it seems Logan you've outlived your usefulness." With a swift swing, she cleaved his head off with the tire iron. Blood spattered across her white top and face. "Someone better beef up security and make sure the Circle hasn't wormed their way into our coven or the council."

"You killed him," said Finn. "He could have provided more information."

"Never trust a newbie vamp, Finn. I already knew about the blood stores the Circle had. Now, I'm going back home to change. Somebody clean this shit up and find out who else the Circle has turned in my territory." Emma then walked away, revenge the only emotion in her eyes.

"I think she's lost it," Finn said.

"No," said Damon, knowing what was really going on.

"She's grieving," said Kol, agreeing with Damon's sentiments. "There's a difference."

Later that night, Emma had changed into a black dress and was visiting Serena's grave.

"Hello, old friend. I apologize for missing your funeral. I was a little caught up in my own mind. I promise your death will be avenged. And I'm going to start with that dreadful ex-husband of yours. And don't worry about Erica and Nathan. I'll make sure they're protected. You did an immense favor for me and I'll make sure my debt to you is repaid, two-fold. I'll come see you again soon." A draft of air blew through Emma's hair. They had arrived. The Original Family was finally whole again. Emma turned around to see Kol, Elijah, Katherine, Rebekah, Finn, Nik, Damon, Sage, Stefan, and Rose.

"We were worried," said Damon.

"I'm fine, but this isn't over."

"What now?" Rebekah asked.

"I won't be satisfied until I taste the blood of the Circle of Thorns. For millennia, they hunted us. This ends…now. Let's go kill some witches." And with that the Originals walked out of the cemetery, Emma leading the pack.


	15. Bite Your Lip

In the wee hours of the morning before daylight, Emma lounged in the bathtub as Damon massaged her shoulders.

"Here. Drink this." He handed her a blood bag. The metallic liquid warmed her insides. Ever since the bomb, she hadn't been feeding as regularly. After she drank every last drop from the bag, she let it slip to the ground. She softly moaned as Damon's hands ran through her hair, massaging her scalp every so often. He lifted her hair up and kissed up her neck to her ear and cheek. Emma was glad she was the only one who saw this side of him. The tender, sweet, affectionate side.

"I love you," Emma sighed.

"I love you too. You want to tell me what you've been thinking about?"

"Serena. Erica came to see me the other day. She wanted to know how it went down at the tomb. She's absolutely devastated, but who wouldn't be. Her mother's gone."

"Not completely. You're still here. You know, she called me Dad the other day." Emma chuckled.

"Bet that was awkward."

"Hmm. Not really. I kind of missed it."

"I want you to know you were the one person who got me through this. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Try not to think about that. We're together now and that's all that matters," Damon replied, recalling how they first met. A few minutes later, a knock came to the bedroom door.

"Go ahead and get it. I'll get dressed." Damon dried his hands on a towel on his way out of the bathroom and unlocked the bedroom door. Stefan was waiting outside.

"What do you want?"

"Can we talk?"

"I guess," Damon replied, walking out of the bedroom and down the hall.

"There was a woman you may have known a few years back named Isobel in North Carolina at Duke."

"You wanna discuss the women in my past right now? Seriously?"

"You killed her."

"What's your point?"

"I just wanna know if you remember anything about her."

"Oh, it's like a needle in a haystack, Stefan."

"Well, think hard. It's important."

"Damon, where are we on the search for those necromancers?" Emma called down the stairs.

"I've got more important things to deal with than a human, Stefan. TTFN." Damon walked back up the stairs and Stefan left the house to meet Alaric in downtown Santa Barbara.

"Well?" Alaric asked. "You said you'd help me."

"I asked Damon without saying too much. He doesn't remember."

"Ask him again."

"Now is not the time. The Family has a lot on their plate right now."

"He murdered my wife or at the very least made a meal out of her."

"Don't push this."

"Give me a reason not to."

"Your survival. How's that for a reason? I'll handle it, but for now, I need you to let it go."

"I need to know what happened. I think you would, too."

"I need something more than just your wife's name. A picture, something I could show Damon." Alaric handed Stefan a photo of Isobel and the vampire left. A few hours later, Damon stopped by Sheriff Forbes' office.

"Hey, Damon," Liz greeted.

"Hey."

"Here's all the sightings of those witches called in from departments that owe me. The rest of Emma's family hasn't called in yet."

"That's okay. I just talked to Nik. I came for a different reason. Finding this coven is of the utmost importance to the Family. I don't want anyone interfering. I need you to get some information on someone for me. Alaric Saltzman, the new history professor at the university. There's just something a little off about him."

"You got it."

"Thanks."

When Damon returned home, Stefan questioned him again, showing Damon the picture of Isobel.

"This is the woman. Isobel. From North Carolina. Remember her now?"

"Who wants to know?" Damon asked.

"I do."

"Who else wants to know?" Emma asked, walking down the stairs. "Vampire hearing."

"Did you kill her, Damon?"

"Sorry. Don't know her."

The following morning, Damon and Emma were having a drink at Club Blood Desire when Liz walked up to them.

"Hey, I ran the check on that history professor."

"What's she talking about, Damon?" Emma asked.

"How's it look?"

"He checks out. Couple of speeding tickets. It's a rough story though. Turns out his wife went missing a few years back in North Carolina."

"North Carolina? She have a name?"

"Yeah. Isobel."

"Isobel."

"Damon," Emma prompted.

"Saltzman. He's been acting funny."

"Damon, don't."

"What do you know?"

"I know that the last thing we need now is to deal with a hunter from the Organization."

"You've known who he is?"

"Yes. I was just trying to protect you."

"I can protect myself. And this guy isn't going to stop until he's staked me. Now, I'm going to find him before he does anything he'll regret." Emma sighed as Damon left and returned home. As she made herself a drink mixed with blood, Alaric entered the room a stake in his hand.

"Are you really this stupid?" Emma turned around.

"You lied to me."

"Guess so." She flung Alaric across the room. "You gonna put down the stake? Wow. That's courage."

"Where's Isobel? What did your husband do with her?"

"You want me to tell you he killed her? Would that make you happy? Because I think you know what happened."

"I saw him feeding on her."

"Yeah, he did." Alaric rushed toward Emma, but she pushed him down. "Come on. What do you think happened? Not an inkling? Never considered the possibility? He turned her."

"Why?"

"She came to me," said Damon, entered the room. "All pathetic, looking for vampires. There was something about her, something I liked. There was something special."

"You turned her because you liked her?"

"I turned her because she begged me to. Yeah. But you knew that, too, didn't you? Hmm. I guess she wasn't happy at home, wasn't happy with life in general, wasn't happy with you." He stabbed Alaric with his own stake, puncturing his lung. "Such a shame. Sounds like I got a lung. Which means we get to sit here and watch you die." Alaric passed away just as Stefan entered the room.

"What happened? What did you do?"

"Do what? He attacked us."

"Damon."

"All I did was tell him the truth. His wife didn't want him anymore. It's not my fault he couldn't handle it. I'm assuming you'll take care of this." He and Emma both left and Stefan sat down next to Alaric. The old vampire saw the human's fingers move and Alaric gasped for air.

"What happened? What's going on?"

"You were just...did Damon turn you?"

"No."

"You must have vampire blood in your system. Somebody slipped it to you."

"No. It's...it's something else."

"Then how?"

"Isobel," said Alaric, examining the ring Isobel had given him. "This ring protected me."

"That's impossible."

"I know."


	16. Reckless Youth

Damon walked into the house and threw his keys on the foyer table as Emma trailed in behind him with a few grocery bags. He heard a creak and walked cautiously toward the living room.

"What is it?" Emma asked, placing her green leather jacket on the table.

"It'd be best if you come out now. Otherwise, I'm going to have to buy a new rug to replace the one I spill your entrails on!" Damon called.

"Damon Salvatore. Always with the theatrics." Damon turned around and saw Pearl and Anna.

"Pearl. Anna," Emma replied.

"Ever hear of knocking?" Damon asked.

"An invitation wasn't necessary. I'm surprised that no living person resides here. Is it just you and the Family?"

"Yeah. How do you keep out unwelcome vampires?" Anna asked.

"I kill them." Damon grabbed Pearl by the throat and crushed her larynx before throwing her on the sofa. "You have 30 seconds to tell me what you're doing here or thing's are going to get messy."

"I was hoping we could have a word," Pearl rasped, rubbing her throat. "We've taken up residence at a farmhouse just outside the town. It'll suffice for now."

"All twenty-five vampires?"

"Not all, some. I imagine that a few have already left town. Others are probably still in the woods or like us acclimating."

"How did they get out of the tomb?" Emma asked.

"I think the witch screwed up that part of her hocus pocus," Anna explained.

"I understand from Anna that you two are on the city council," Pearl added. "I need to know everything they know.

"Starting with a list of names of all the council members and their families. And everyone you've supplied with vervain. That needs to stop immediately." Emma's eyes glowed amethyst and electrical energy coursed through Pearl, causing her to seize and scream in pain.

"You do not tell me what to do! Don't forget your place! Or maybe I need to show you. I believe the Old Ways would be sufficient punishment for such impertinence."

"Stop. I retract."

"That's right," Emma replied, her eyes returning to their normal brown. "What exactly are you trying to achieve?"

"Santa Barbara is our home, Emma. They took that from us. Our land, our home. It's time we rebuild."

"What, are you crazy? It was 1864. Wake up, woman. The world has moved on," Damon replied.

"As a reward for your help I'm willing to give you what you want most."

"We want nothing."

"Lydia. Rumor has it the Family is hunting down The Circle of Thorns."

"You wouldn't even know where she is. You've been under the ground for the last century and a half," Emma replied.

"When I was human, I knew Lydia. We were best friends long. I know how she thinks. I know her patterns. I know where to find her."

"Alright, I'll bite," said Damon. "You can stay in the town in exchange for your information, but let's make one thing clear. One slip-up from your vampires and I will personally extract your heart and I will have fun doing it."

"Thank you. I will send word to you once I've confirmed her location."

"Get out."

Later that night, Emma and Damon came laughing into the house.

"I can't believe we forgot the wine for dinner," said Damon. "Such a waste in gas."

"I can't believe that register attendant didn't get your sense of humor."

"I think that was because he was looking at you so much."

"Well, too bad for him that the only man who has my heart is you." Damon smiled as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. His hands framed her face as he deepened the kiss. Emma moaned as he littered her neck with kisses.

"Ah, guys, is that really necessary?" Stefan asked.

"I thought you were going out, little brother."

"Right now. Right now." Suddenly, Frederick, a vampire from the tomb, burst through the window and jumped on Stefan, stabbing him with a piece of glass. Damon pushed him off Stefan and began to fight him. Stefan removed the piece of glass from his back as Emma fought with Frederick's girlfriend, Bethanne. She pushed the younger vampire to the floor, broke the leg off a wooden chair and stabbed her in the heart. Damon sent Frederick flying across the living room. Frederick looked at the three old vampires and then at his dead girlfriend. In a flash, he left.

"Damnit," Emma cursed.

"I remember them from 1864. They were in the tomb," said Stefan.

"Yeah…about that," Damon muttered as they looked at each other.


	17. Breath of Life

As Kol held up a board over the window, Damon drove nails into the sides, holding the wood in place.

"I say we go to Pearl's, rip the house down, and annihilate the idiots that were stupid enough to attack you last night," said Rebekah.

"Yeah? And then what? Turn to the rest of the vampires and say 'Oops. Sorry?' Idiot," Katherine muttered.

"I can't believe you made a deal with her," said Finn, shaking his head.

"It was more like a helpful exchange of information. Besides, she's gonna help us find Lydia."

"This is a terrible idea, Damon. Even for you. We don't make deals with young vampires. It's beneath us," Sage snapped.

"You don't have to be snarky about it."

"I woke up this morning to learn that all the vampires have been released from the tomb. I've earned snarky."

"This isn't being very productive. We're gonna figure out a way to deal with Pearl and the vampires," said Emma. "First, recon. I'll run some surveillance on them. See what they're up to. Stefan, you want to come?"

"I'm in." Damon looked at Emma, alarmed.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine." In the Santa Ynez forest, Emma and Stefan were on a hill overlooking Pearl's farmhouse. "Man, she sure picked a good place to hide out. Lots of cover and places to hide. Not to mention if we launched an assault she'd see us coming a mile away. What do you think, Stefan? Stef?" Emma turned around and saw Stefan incapacitated in the dense brush, slightly drowsy. She could smell the stench of vervain a mile away.

"So that's how we're going to play it, huh!" Emma called out, surveilling through the dense trees for any vampires. "Vervain blow darts? You're going to have to do a lot better than that." Blood then spewed out of Emma's mouth. She looked down and saw a huge wound in her stomach. "Buckshot." Grimacing, she kneeled to the ground.

"How was that?" Frederick asked before he knocked her out with the butt of his gun. "Take her to the house."

"What about him?" another vampire asked.

"Leave him." An hour later, Stefan had limped back to the house. The sound of a vase falling in the foyer brought Damon and Kol out of the living room.

"Stefan, what happened?" Damon asked.

"Vampires. Lots of them. Super-concentrated vervain."

"Where's Emma?" Kol asked.

"I'm sorry. They got to me before they took her on. They have her. Took her down with buckshot."

"Oh, boy, she's going to be pissed," Kol muttered.

"What the hell's wrong with you!" Damon yelled. "None of this would have happened if you'd been drinking human blood. Vervain concentration an Original can fight. Let's go, Kol."

The two Originals left as Stefan fell to the floor in the hallway. He noticed the door that led to the cellar was open. His only hope of helping his family was down there, but was it worth the risk? He pulled himself up and walked down the stairs. Once he reached the basement, he opened a massive chest freezer filled with enough blood to sate the Original Family's appetite.

"Stefan?" Sage asked. "What are you doing?"

"Emma's been captured and it's my fault. If I'd just been on human blood, I could have fought the vervain. I have to help. I have to do this, Sage." Sage looked worried as Stefan ripped into the blood bag.

Meanwhile, Damon knocked on the door of Pearl's house, Kol standing behind him.

"Pearl! Open this door. I swear to God I'll bust through and rip your head off."

"Pearl's not home," said Frederick, opening the door. "Hmm. Beautiful weather. Not a ray of sun in the sky."

"Where's my wife?" Two vampires dragged Emma out into the hallway. She looked severely weakened and beaten up.

"Emma's always loved to electrocute others to demonstrate her point. I thought it'd be fun to show her what it feels like." One of the vampires electrocuted her with a cattle prod and she screamed Damon's name.

"You're dead," Damon growled. However, he couldn't enter the house.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You haven't been invited in."

"Give my sister back or I'll rip your throat out," Kol threatened.

"Miss Gibbons?" Frederick called.

"Yes?"

"Never let these bad men in," he compelled.

"I'll never let them in."

"145 years left starving in a tomb, thanks to Emma. First few weeks, every single nerve in your body screams with fire. The kind of pain that can drive a person mad. Well...I thought your wife might want to get a taste of that before I killed her. Billy." They electrocuted Emma again. "You have a nice day now." He closed the door and Damon slammed his hand against the doorframe.

"I know what we can do," said Stefan, walking down the road leading to the house.

"Well, you're looking better."

"I had lunch. I know who can get us in."

"Alright, I'll bite. Kol, go alert the rest of the Family."

"Community too?"

"No. Let's keep this in the Family. We only maintain our power through the other vampires' fear of Emma. If they know she's weak, it could lead to a coup."

Later, Alaric was walking down the hallway in the history department at the university when Damon appeared. Alaric stopped in his tracks.

"Well, don't you look... alive?"

"You can't hurt me."

"Oh, I can hurt you, all right."

"Alaric, we need your help," said Stefan. They walked into his office to talk. "Emma's in the house. All the vampires know who we are so we can't worm our way in. We need you."

"Stefan told me about your ring."

"What about it?"

"Let me recap...you tried to kill me. I defended myself. You died. Then according to my brother, your ring brought you back to life. Am I leaving anything out?"

"Yeah. The part where I try and kill you again. Only this time, I don't miss."

"Alaric, if Emma dies, Santa Barbara will unravel at the seams. She keeps the vampires under control because they fear her. If they find out she's died…"

"Santa Barbara would be massacred."

"There's something in it for you," said Damon. "The woman in charge of the crowd can help you find your wife."

"You're lying."

"Am I? Why don't you ask her for yourself? Coward. Come on, Stef."

"All right! Wait. I'll go."

That night, Damon waited outside the back door of the house, waiting for Alaric to bring the owner of the house to the back. Anxiety was eating him up inside. He wasn't particularly known for his patience. Finally, Alaric opened the door.

"Oh, I'm sorry. He's not allowed in the house," said Miss Gibbons, seeing Damon.

"I know that. But you've gotta make an exception."

"Get her out of the house. Now!" Alaric pushed the woman out of the house and Damon grabbed her. "Miss Gibbons, tell me the truth. Are you married?"

"No."

"Parents, children, anyone else who lives on this property?"

"No. It's just me."

"No? Good." He snapped her neck.

"You were supposed to compel her."

"It doesn't work that way."

"She's human."

"And I'm not! So, I don't care. Now, get out of here. And get rid of the body!"

As Damon killed a few vampires quietly, the remaining members of the Salvatore and Mikaelson family walked down the road to the house. Knowing they needed to buy Damon some time to properly locate Emma's position, they stood in front of the house and took in their surroundings. Rose smirked when she saw a large rock on the ground. With an amazing amount of strength, she pitched it toward the house and it crashed through the window into the living room where Frederick was.

"What the hell!" He and a group of vampires looked outside and saw the Originals standing there. "Originals."

"Hello, boys. Now how about you come outside before we tear the walls down? I'd hate to break a nail," said Katherine.

"Go to hell, Kat!"

"Already been, hon," said Katherine as she grabbed a tree branch and propelled it into the house. It missed Frederick by a few centimeters. Elijah and Finn's eyes glowed. Poison and acid drifted from them causing the house walls to begin to disintegrate and the vampires to begin coughing. Luckily for Damon, he was immune to Finn's particular type of poison. While the Originals occupied the other vampires, Emma heard the commotion from downstairs.

"I'm so sorry, your Majesty. I told them they shouldn't do this. That they should just go with the status quo," said another tied up vampire.

"It's not your fault. Frederick was always a megalomaniac. Thankfully, he was never good at tying knots." She broke free from her vervain ropes and then broke her fellow captive out. "I suggest you run as fast as you can. Things are about to get bloody." Harper nodded and sped out of the back room. Her eyes glowing red, Emma slowly walked out of the room as if in a trance. She walked past the living room and saw Damon and Frederick fighting.

"Em?" Damon asked. With a flick of her fingertips, an electric spark left Emma's hand and shot Frederick through the window outside. Before Emma could move another step, a knife was thrown into her shoulder from the kitchen.

"Was that supposed to hurt?" Emma asked as she pulled the knife out and used it to slice off a vampire's head. She dropped the blade. Another vampire tackled her just as another attacked Damon.

"Are you needing any help, love?" Damon asked as he found his prey.

"I can deal with this."

"Better start listening to your guy," said Emma's opponent.

"Are you sure? Because I'm almost done here," said Damon as he ripped his enemy's heart out.

"I said I can deal with this, Damon!" Emma yelled as she sank her fangs into the vampire fighting her. She increased the amount of venom she typically injected and the vampire immediately greyed. "I'm going after Frederick. Exterminate them all." Emma transformed into a crow and flew out the door. Out in the woods, Frederick was running away from the chaos. He was shocked when Emma stood in front of her. "Running away like the coward you are? Why am I not surprised." Emma snapped a branch of a tree off as if it was a twig and pinned Frederick to the tree. She repeatedly stabbed him the heart.

"Emma. Emma!" Damon called, catching up to her. "He's dead. He's dead. That's enough." She looked at him with red eyes. "Stop. Take control." Emma dropped the branch and grabbed her head. Her eyes turned back from amethyst to brown and she collapsed into Damon's embrace. He picked her up and headed toward the other Originals. The ground was littered with vampire bodies.

"Some of them escaped," said Sage.

"That's not my concern right now," said Damon, looking at the scorch marks slowly healing on Emma's skin.

"What's going on here?" Pearl asked. "Damon, what did you do?"

"Me? Your merry little band of vampires spent the day torturing my wife."

"Trust me. The parties responsible for this will be dealt with. This wasn't supposed to happen."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry, Pearl. I dealt with the parties responsible…personally. I gave you a chance. You blew it. You are not yet ready for power. Now I'm sure once we leave the few tomb vampires that remain will come to you. Get rid of them immediately or I'll let Emma's brothers have their way with you." Pearl stiffened and all the Originals left at vampire speed.

Later that night, Emma woke up in her bed. Her clothes had been changed. She turned and saw Damon peeling his shirt off. A few wounds were still healing.

"Damon, you're hurt," Emma muttered.

"Hey. It's okay. They're healing," Damon replied, sliding into bed. "You lost control."

"They treated me like a dog. They pissed me off."

"I know, but Emma…you lost control."

"I'm sorry."

"I know. I just want you to be careful. Bad things happen when you tap into that kind of power. Let's sleep. It's been a bad day." Emma moved to her side, but Damon pulled her arm over his chest and she cuddled next to him. "That's better. I love you, Emmy." He pressed a kiss to the crown of her head.

"I love you too." Damon's hand stroked up her spine to her neck and he knew she was asleep when her breathing slowed. Before he could drift off himself, he heard a noise down the hall. After slowly easing himself off the bed as to not wake Emma, he walked toward Stefan's room and saw an empty blood bag lying on the floor. He turned to look around the corner and saw Stefan drinking from a blood bag. His lips were stained with blood and he had obviously been crying. His addiction had taken over.


	18. Sick

Stefan was doing pull-ups on the rafter of his bedroom when Damon entered the room with a glass of blood in his hand. Music was blaring from his radio.

"Could you turn it up a little bit? It's not annoying yet!" Damon yelled as he turned off the radio.

"Sorry."

"Just keep it down. Emma's still recovering from last night." Stefan jumped down from the rafter and started to do push-ups. "Oh come on. Just drink already. This self-detox is not natural."

"Can you get that away from me please?" asked Stefan, pointing to Damon's glass of blood.

"How long did it take you to wean yourself of it the last time you indulged?" Silence. "That's not good."

"I'll be fine. It just takes a little bit of time."

"I don't get it. You know, you don't have to kill to survive. That's what blood banks are for. I haven't hunted a human in…God, way too long."

"Oh, I'm impressed," Stefan spouted sarcastically. "What are you planning on doing about the rest of the tomb vampires?"

"We are not going to be doing much of anything if you don't have your strength. There's nothing wrong with partaking in a healthy diet of human blood from a blood bank. You're not actually killing anyone."

"I have my reasons."

"Well, what are those holier than thou reasons? You know, we never actually discussed this. I'd love to hear this story." Damon sat down in a chair.

"You're really enjoying this, aren't you? Watching me struggle?"

"Immensely," he smirked.

"I hate to break it to you, Damon, but…I actually have it under complete control."

"You do? Well, then you should just carry on making the rest of us vampires look bad. Have a great day, Stefan." He got up and left the room, leaving his glass of blood on the table. Stefan stared at the glass, but Damon returned. "Oh, hey, almost forgot something. Oops." He took the glass and left after taking a drink, relishing in the taste.

At Founder's Hall, Damon and Emma arrived, attending a council meeting. Apparently, Vicki's body had been discovered.

"The coroner's office has officially ruled Vicki Donovan's death a drug overdose. Her family has been notified. The truth will stay in this room and we can put this behind us," said the Sheriff.

"Thank you, Sheriff. And on to a more pressing issue, John Gilbert has asked to say a few words," said the Mayor. Emma noticed the man walk in and was about to go toward him, but Damon grabbed her hand.

"Not here," he whispered.

"Welcome back, John. It's good to see you."

"Hello everyone. It's wonderful to see you. I wish it were under better circumstances. As a founding family member, I find it's my duty to report some very distressing news. A hospital blood bank in the neighboring county of San Luis Obispo has reported several break-ins over the past two weeks. 7 hunters, 4 campers and 2 state employees have been reported missing as well. All of this within a 75 mile radius of Santa Barbara," continued John.

"Whatever vampires do in the neighboring counties isn't anyone's concern, John. The vampires here are following the rules. There's no need to be alarmed," said Damon.

"Yet," John added. Damon glared at him. He already didn't like this guy.

The next night, the Originals arrived at the Founder's Day 150th Anniversary Kick-Off party. In honor of the Originals' return, a series of events were being held as a welcome.

"Oh God! I shouldn't be here," said Stefan as they walked into the building.

"Don't be a downer. It's a party for the Original Families. That would be us. It'd be rude to skip it," Damon replied.

"I really liked you a whole lot better when you hated everybody," said Stefan as Emma laughed.

"Oh, I still do. I just love that they love me. How are you feeling?"

"I'm good. I'm fine."

"No cravings? No urges? Is that whiskey you've been drinking all day doing its job?" Damon asked. Stefan laughed.

"We are who we are, Stefan," Emma added. "Nothing's gonna change that."

"Nothing would make you two happier to just see me give up, huh?"

"It's inevitable," Damon answered as Emma shrugged. Stefan went to walk away. "Don't embarrass me, young man!"

"You're such a tease," Emma smirked.

"Hmm. Well, you would know wouldn't you?"

"Come on. Let's get a drink." They walked into a room and took in the crowd. Soft music was playing and no one was dancing.

"Wow. This is boring. Humans really don't know how to throw a party. I'm almost insulted," said Kol as Damon left to get Emma a drink.

"Well, I think Stefan's about to rectify that," said Emma, noticing Stefan walk over to the DJ.

"That's not gonna work. I already tried to bribe the guy with 20 bucks and a date. He said Carol Lockwood has complete control over the music choices," said Erica.

"You'd be surprised what Stefan can accomplish when he puts his mind to it," said Rose. The music then changed.

"Have I entered an alternate universe where Stefan is fun?" Damon asked as he handed Emma a glass of scotch.

"Is he going to be okay, Dad?" Erica asked.

"Eventually. One way or another," Damon smirked. Further into the party, Damon ran into the Sheriff.

"You know I love a woman in uniform but I have to side with this one. You look… you look smashing."

"Thank you Damon. Cheers! I needed that. You know I had my doubts about you at first but like everyone else on the council you've won me over."

"Thanks, Liz. It's really nice how welcoming the council has been. I like my life here in Santa Barbara. Starting to feel like home."

"Excuse me, Sheriff. I was curious if there's been any more information about what happened to Vicki Donovan?" Nathan asked, interrupting the two.

"It was an overdose, Nathan," said the Sheriff.

"Yeah, but her body was buried. Somebody must have done that." Damon looked very uncomfortable.

"We're aware of that. The investigation is ongoing but there's nothing more I can tell you at this time. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Nathan replied, dejectedly walking away.

"Excuse me, Liz," said Damon before finding Emma at the bar.

"Have you noticed what your brother has been up to?" Emma asked, having witnessed a slight altercation between Stefan and a human.

"No, I have been too preoccupied with our son. He's been asking questions about Vicki Donovan's death."

"He knows that her death was ruled an overdose."

"Really? 'Oh but Sheriff, someone buried her. Who would do that?' I know! I know! Me! I mean I could compel him but he's wearing vervain."

"No, I don't want you to compel him."

"If he keeps asking questions…"

"Damon, no. I'm serious. We're not going to do that to him again. I'll handle it." Damon removed a rose from a vase and gave it to her.

"Okay. Don't say I didn't warn you." She took the rose from his hand just as he stole a kiss from her lips. When she opened her eyes, she saw him walking away. Emma placed the rose in her clutch and left to find Nathan who was sitting on a couch in another room.

"Nate? I heard about your conversation with Sheriff Forbes."

"No one is trying to figure out what happened to her, Aunt Em. They all want to believe that she OD'ed."

"The coroner's office confirmed it. If that's what they said happened then…"

"Is that what you believe?"

"What do you think happened?"

"I think somebody killed her and buried her body and I don't think we should write it off just 'cause it's easy."

"They're just doing what they can to move on. Listen, I know it's been rough since your mom…"

"This isn't about mom! I know the truth about how she died. You told me and I appreciate that you didn't spare any details. Because the truth is the only thing that helps people to move on."

"Nate, just let it go, okay? Whatever it was she's gone now."

"Whatever it was? So you don't think it was an overdose?"

"Yes…I do."

"Is there something you're not telling me?" Emma looked down. "Why aren't you looking at me?"

"Stop it, that doesn't mean anything."

"If there was something else you would tell me, right?"

"Of course I would," Emma replied after a long pause. Nathan looked at her, suspicious. Suddenly, John Gilbert came into Emma's view. "I have to go. We'll talk about this more later." Her eyes darkening, Emma followed John until Damon noticed her. He immediately stopped Emma.

"No. Not here," Damon growled.

"He killed my best friend. His head is mine." Damon looked around and pulled her to the balcony outside.

"You're not beheading John Gilbert in front of all these townspeople. You'd be signing all our death warrants!" Emma growled and took his drink, downing it all in one gulp.

"God. That's awful."

"Yeah, they don't have any aged bourbon. You know how they are at these parties. Cheap."

"Get me something stronger or I'm not going to be able to stop myself."

"Alright, just relax. Deep breaths and all that. I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere." A few minutes after Damon left, Emma turned to look at the view. She closed her eyes until she sensed a pulse behind her.

"Emma, right?" John asked.

"John Gilbert," Emma replied, turning around.

"We didn't get the chance to talk at the council meeting."

"You enjoying the kick-off?"

"Oh yeah. I forgot how much fun these small town celebrations can be."

"I think the last time I saw you was divorce court."

"Ah, Serena. Quite a…bombshell that one." Emma growled. "I hear she didn't suffer in the fire. However, you already knew that didn't you? Since you were there. Maybe I should have designed the bomb differently."

"You know that I could rip your throat out before anyone would notice, right?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, okay. But you probably ingest vervain so…"

"Why don't you take a bite and find out?"

"You are not worth my time, you insignificant little worm," Emma whispered into his ear before walking toward the door. She then stopped. "However, I do think my friend deserves some justice." Emma rushed toward John, broke his neck, and threw him off the balcony. She smirked. Emma turned back around and saw Damon.

"What did you do?"

"You told me to not go anywhere. So I didn't. You never said I couldn't kill him when we were alone." Emma then took the drink he'd brought for and sauntered into a hallway. "Hey, Stefan, you want to hear some great news?"

"No."

"Okay, let me rephrase. Do you want to hear how I just killed John Gilbert?"

"What?"

"Great party by the way, huh?" She smiled and left. She entered the main ballroom, Damon and Stefan trailing behind her. She was shocked by who she saw in the room. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Is that…John?" Damon asked. Emma growled, but before she could do anything about it the Mayor called her over for a speech.

"Thank you all for joining us tonight," said Emma. "In just a few moments, we'll officially begin the countdown to our upcoming Founders' Day Celebration and it's a very special one this year. Not only is it the 150th birthday of our town, but the celebration this year is being held in honor of my family who have been reunited after several centuries apart. I want to thank everyone for this honor and the hospitality all of you have offered us. One hundred and fifty years of community, prosperity, family. We take care of each other, we look after each other, protect each other." Emma glared at John. "Let the festivities begin." Emma rang the charter bell. As everyone applauded, Damon joined Alaric.

"Look at his right hand."

"Who's?"

"Sandy blonde next to Carol. Look at his ring."

"It looks like mine."

"Yeah, and that would be a big coincidence if he didn't just came back from the dead five minutes ago. Where the hell did you get that ring?"

"Isobel, my wife. Do you think John knew Isobel?"

"I think John knows a lot of things."

At the Salvatore Mansion, Nathan had left the party early and went up to Emma's bedroom. He found her journal sitting on a night table and began to read it. He was shocked by what he discovered. His parents were vampires. Back at Founder's Hall, John was leaving the party. The Originals and Alaric followed him.

"Going somewhere?" Emma asked.

"I never liked to be the last one to leave a party. It's too desperate. You going to kill me again or you gonna let Mr. Saltzman do your dirty work?"

"Okay, you obviously know who I am."

"I do. Alaric Saltzman, a college professor with a secret."

"Sure know a lot for someone who just got to town, mate," said Kol.

"More than you can imagine. My knowledge of this town goes beyond anything you know." Rebekah growled and was about to pounce on him, but Emma raised her hand, stopping her. "If you're planning on some clever high speed snatch ring vamp kill move, know that if I die, everything I know goes to the council including the fascinating little tale of tomb vampires running rampant and not adhering to the charter. I wonder what the council would do if they found that out. They are still under the mistaken impression that it's sealed."

"How did you get that ring?" Alaric asked.

"I had inherited one, my brother, Gray, the other. This was his and I wouldn't have given mine to Isobel if I had known she'd hand it over to another guy."

"So you did know her," said Damon.

"Who do you think sent her your way when she wanted to become a vampire?"

"You sent her?"

"Guilty. Why, did you think someone else sent her? Maybe a Circle of Thorns witch?"

"How do you know about that?" Emma asked.

"How do I know anything, Emma?"

"What do you want?"

"So many questions for a woman who wants me dead. Pleasure meeting you all." John then left as the others watched, worried.

"I want everything we can dig up on this guy. The works. I'm not going to be able to sleep well until I bury him six feet under," Emma ordered. Later that night, Emma had gone up to bed. Nathan had left just in time before the Originals returned. Damon was sitting on the couch in front of the fire, a glass in his hand, when Stefan arrived.

"We have a problem Stefan and when I say problem I mean global crisis. It seems John Gilbert has…" He looked at Stefan who was sweating. "You don't look so good. Its different this time, isn't it? The need is too strong. Of course it would be after all these years." He placed his glass of blood on the table. He got up and patted his brother on the shoulder. "Have a good night, brother." He walked upstairs. Stefan looked at the glass, took it, and drank it all in one gulp.


	19. Why Try

At Founders Hall, Damon, Emma, Liz Forbes, and John Gilbert were talking about a recent robbery.

"There was a disturbance at the hospital blood bank last night. Some of the supply was compromised," said the Sheriff.

"Compromised? You mean stolen?" clarified Damon.

"We almost missed it. The inventory records were altered but when the night manager was questioned he had no recollection of changing them."

"Meaning that the vampire who stole the blood used mind control to hide the theft," said John, looking directly at Damon.

"I know what she meant."

"Someone's not going through the system. We've already been alerted. I'm checking into it," said Emma.

"We wouldn't have noticed it had John not alerted us to recent discrepancies in other hospital blood banks in the county," said Liz.

"How lucky for us we have John," Damon quipped.

"We're stepping up security at the hospital, giving the guards vervain to prevent this from happening again," Emma added. "All my vampires know better than to steal from the hospital. They come to my associates for blood. I think it's someone new."

"Sheriff, may I offer a suggestion?" asked John. "Why don't Damon, Emma, and I put our heads together? We can track down whoever is doing this."

"Truthfully, I could use the extra hands. Is that something you would be willing to do?"

"Why not," replied Damon.

"I think we would make a good team, don't you think, Emma?"

"John, whatever I can do to help keep this town safe, even if it means spending time with you," said Emma, plastering a fake smile on his face as John smiled back.

Later, Anna arrived at the Salvatore mansion.

"I suppose I should be grateful. You learned how to use the bell," said Emma, opening the door.

"I'm here on behalf of my mother," said Anna, entering the house.

"On behalf of or in spite of?"

"I'm sorry about what the other vampires did to you. Abducting you, torturing you…it wasn't supposed to go down like that."

"Well, it did," Emma snapped. "You're playing house with half of a tomb of really pissed off vampires. What'd you think was going to happen?"

"My mom is devastated. They tried to over throw her."

"Why isn't Pearl here telling us this?" Damon asked.

"She doesn't really do apologies."

"Well, isn't that a coincidence, 'cause I don't do forgiveness," Emma scoffed. "If you're going to continue staying here, you might wanna stop robbing the blood bank dry because they're onto it. You know the rules, Anna. Go through The Factory."

"It's not my mother or me."

"Then it's one of your others."

"The others are gone, Emma."

"Well, where did they go?"

"They weren't cut out for this town. After what happened with you, my mom kicked them out and they took off. It's just us now."

"Hmm. I'm going to go sniff around town, Damon. I'll walk you out, Anna." After the two female vampires left, Stefan returned to the house.

"How was school?" Damon asked.

"Fine."

"Yeah? Same old, same old? Nothing new? No stories to bring home?"

"You're making small talk. Why?"

"You seem awfully chipper lately. Less doom and gloom. A little more pep in your step."

"And you think it's because I drank human blood again."

"I don't want to brag but I would definitely take responsibility for this new and improved you."

"Well, I hate to burst your bubble but I'm clean."

"Yeah, not possible."

"Not only is it possible but it is quite true."

"Stefan, just be serious for a second. You spent the last century and a half being a poster child for Prozac and now you expect me to believe that this new you has nothing to do with human blood. Nothing."

"I'm clean."

"You're lying!"

"Believe what you want." Stefan left for his bedroom, leaving a suspicious Damon in the hallway. A few minutes later, he went to the basement and opened the fridge. There were tons of blood pouches in it, a lot more than there had been for the Originals two days ago. It was way too much for the Family unless someone was on a binge. He looked at them all but Damon was watching him from the shadows.

"Well, well. Who would have guessed? He's a liar and a thief," said Damon as he came up behind him. " When were you gonna share?"

"Go ahead. Help yourself."

"No, no, no. I'm talking about the fact that you're a closet blood junkie."

"So, I'm drinking blood again. You're the one that shoved it on me. What's your problem? I have it under control."

"Under control? You robbed the hospital!" Damon yelled.

"So, what's your point?"

"Fine, whatever man. Drink up," said Damon. "Just remember, we have a deal with the human. One that says no blood from the hospital."

"Why, have my actions negatively impacted you? I can't imagine what that must feel like. I'm still the same person, Damon."

"Clearly. You've been off the human stuff for years, Stefan. If you're having trouble controlling…"

"I'm not having trouble."

"Who do you think you're talking to? I know what it's like. That Jekyll and Hyde feeling, that switch. Sometimes it goes off and you snap. Right now is not a good time for us to be worried about you snapping."

"I know that it pains you to see this but I'm fine, okay? I'm fine." He removed a pouch from the fridge. "So please do me a favor and back off." He closed the fridge and left.

Later that day, the bell to the Salvatore house rang again. Emma had returned from her trip around town and opened the door. John entered the house.

"Hey partner!"

"What do you want?" Emma groaned.

"You haven't returned any of my calls."

"Most people take that as a hint."

"Where do we start looking for bloodthirsty vampires?"

"Why the act, John? You obviously don't care about catching vampires. What's Isobel have to say about that by the way? I mean, considering that she is one."

"Isobel and I share a mutual interest. The original Jonathan Gilbert had an invention that was stolen by a vampire. That vampire was then burned alive in Fell's Church, or so Jonathan thought, and the invention was lost forever. But then the vampires weren't killed, were they? They were trapped and now they're free, thanks to you, which means the invention is retrievable."

"What is it?"

"The only thing that matters is that I want it and you're going to help me if you want your secrets safe."

"Why bring me into it, John? I mean, I don't even know what you're talking about much less who has it."

"Oh come on, Emma! You were around back then. You know who these people are, what they look like. He was friendly with a woman who turned out to be a vampire. Her name was Pearl. Does that ring a bell?"

"I'm not playing anymore," Emma smiled. "Get out. Get out."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You know I only entertained this whole blackmail scheme thing of yours because I thought you knew something of value concerning the Circle of Thorns. But now I know you know nothing about the Circle, because if you did, you would know that Lydia O'Connell and Pearl were best friends. And you would have used that to entice me…to get me interested in what you have to offer. You revealed your hand, John. Bad move. Game over."

"I'll tell the entire council what's been going on."

"Go for it! I'll kill every last one of them. Then I'll sever your hand, pull your ring off, and I'll kill you too! Do you understand that?"

That evening, Emma, in a navy and white dress, met with Anna on the terrace of Founder's Hall.

"Hello, Anna."

"Your Majesty."

"We need to have a little chat. John Gilbert thinks your mother stole an artifact from Jonathan senior…senior back in 1864."

"Are you John's errand girl now?"

"John Gilbert is a little bastard who killed my best friend and the mere thought of him still breathing makes my skin crawl. But I can't kill him yet. He's crafty and you know exactly what happened the last time we came across a crafty human. I don't know what this artifact is but I don't want him to have it," she spat, her Grecian accent clearly present.

"I could ask my mother but you know, you've made it pretty clear that you don't trust us so why should I even bother?"

"Because you want to stay in Santa Barbara and John Gilbert's in town, making that impossible. Find out where it is. He leaves, you can buy yourself a welcome mat." Later, Damon met Emma in a back room at Founder's Hall.

"We need to talk," Damon said.

"About what?"

"Normally, I would have a completely different outlook on what I'm about to tell you, but since it really could inconvenience us, I'll squeal," Damon continued.

"What are you talking about?"

"Stefan's still drinking human blood."

"What?"

"Yeah, a month ago I would have rejoiced but with the council back on tomb vampire alert, it is not a good time for Stefan to fly off the handle."

"I know he's been a little edgy but he said that was normal."

"He has our fridge crammed full of stolen blood bank contraband," Damon said as Emma sank to the couch.

"Oh my God."

"Normal to a vampire is drinking human blood but he's spent all this time fighting it when he should have been learning to control it and now it's controlling him instead."

"He lied to me. He said he was off it."

"Stefan on human blood, Emma. He'll do anything, he'll say anything because he's not gonna want to stop," said Damon.

"This is all my fault. If I hadn't gotten caught, Stefan would have never drank the blood," said Emma as Stefan entered the room, interrupting them.

"What's going on in here?" Stefan asked.

"I was just filling Emma in on your…extra-curricular activities," Damon answered.

"What are you talking about?" Stefan laughed.

"I know about the blood, Stefan," Emma glared.

"I'll be downstairs, drinking," said Damon, leaving.

"I was going to tell you."

"Oh really? When pray tell?"

"I'm fine. I'm fine."

"You always say that when you go back to human blood."

"It doesn't change anything."

"Stefan, it changes you. I don't know why, but it does. Are you hearing yourself right now? You've been stealing blood and lying and you say that everything's fine? Everything's not fine, Stefan!"

"So what - so you and Damon all of a sudden have everything figured out then?"

"Don't make this about your brother! This is about you!" Emma yelled before walking away. Later in the evening, Emma and Damon were dancing when Sheriff Forbes called them upstairs. Emma could smell the blood in the bathroom from the hallway. Her eyes glowed purple as she placed her finger in a pool of blood and took a taste.

"Well?" Damon asked. "How's it read?"

"Increased adrenaline and norepinephrine. She was scared when she was attacked. European descent, Santa Barbara native, dirty blonde, blue eyes, sixteen, I believe."

"You can get all that from blood?" John asked.

"It's an acquired skill. Does anyone fit my description?" Emma asked, her eyes returning to their normal purple.

"Amber Bradley. And she's missing," Liz replied.

"My family will find her. Have your deputies secure the hall. No one leaves. And if they're a vampire, tell them this is my decree." Damon and Emma walked out of the bathroom to the main hall. "Elijah," Emma whispered. Immediately, Elijah appeared.

"Yes?"

"Possible human casualty. Alert the rest of the family to search the woods. Teams of two. I smelled Stefan's scent in the room. If you find him, take him down. Do whatever's necessary." Elijah nodded and walked off. Emma and Damon walked toward the back of the property and heard a scream. They ran.

"Stefan, stop!" Emma yelled. He dropped the girl.

"Stefan, get control. Breathe through it." Damon moved closer but Stefan attacked him, throwing him across the clearing. Stefan moved to approach Emma.

"You really want to go there? You don't want to take me on, Stef. You know how it will end." Stefan attacked Emma and grappled her to the ground. Damon got up and attempted to remove him from Emma, but she used her feet to push Stefan off of her. Before any more fighting could occur, Katherine sped over and snapped Stefan's neck.

"Heard the scream," said Katherine as she offered her sister her hand. Emma accepted it and rose from the ground.

"Thanks. Get the Sheriff. And get Finn lock Stefan up." A few minutes later, the police arrived.

"She doesn't remember what happened?"

"No. I think the vampire compelled her to forget after attacking her," said Emma, having really compelled Amber herself. When Emma and Damon arrived home that night, Anna and Pearl were waiting for them.

"This is getting downright creepy. If you're going to come over, call first," said Emma.

"We're here to talk," said Anna.

"Not in the mood. Today's been a no good, very bad day," said Damon, helping Emma out of her coat.

"Annabelle tells me you're looking for something I took from Jonathan Gilbert," said Pearl.

"I'm listening," said Emma, her attention captured. Pearl handed her the device. "What is it?"

"Jonathan was passionate about the his Da Vinci Collection. He confided in me that he had a detection device meant to track down certain vampires at your request."

"It was a pocket watch," said Emma.

"That's what it turned out to be, yes. But that's not what I stole."

"So what is this?" Damon asked.

"I have no idea but now it's yours."

"What's the catch?" asked Emma.

"There is no catch. My daughter wants to stay here. I want to stay here. Consider this an apology." Pearl and Anna then left. After throwing her clutch and keys on the table, Emma walked downstairs into the basement with Damon. Emma looked through the bars of the cell.

"There's no guarantee this is going to work," he said.

"Unfortunately, Stefan's given me no choice. It has to."

"Coming upstairs?"

"I think I'll stay here." Emma slid down the wall and sat, feeling immensely guilty. Damon looked at her and sat down next to her.


	20. Human

"You locked him up?" Erica asked, shocked.

"Well, we couldn't have him running around chewing on people," Damon replied.

"It had nothing to do with you actually caring about him?"

"Not my thing." As Erica walked up the stairs, Damon pushed a bottle of blood through the bars for Stefan.

"Brought you something to eat...100% Stefan diet approved. You know what will happen if you don't eat. You'll get all rotting and crusty."

"I'm not hungry," Stefan replied.

"Of course you are. We're eternally hungry. Take it. The human blood should be gone by now. You want to explain why you're still in here. Feeling sorry for yourself? Come on. Drink up. Fine. Starve. What do I care?" When Damon walked into the living room, he heard Erica talking to her mother.

"Did you ever figure out what that is?" Erica asked, looking at the Gilbert Device.

"Nope. Whatever it is, it doesn't work," Emma replied.

"Pearl didn't say anything else about it?"

"She thought she was stealing his vampire compass, but that was a pocket watch. That Da Vinci was one crazy scientist," said Emma as Damon's phone rang.

"Hello?" Damon answered as he poured himself a drink.

"It's Alaric Saltzman."

"Before I hang up, how did you get this number?"

"Ah, it's a mystery. Listen, I've, uh, been doing some digging on John Gilbert. You interested?"

"What kind of digging?"

"I've got an old friend from Duke who studied criminology when we were there together. Let's just say he's become a very proficient digger."

"Well, did he find anything?"

"Well, I had him run a track on John's cell records. He was getting a call from a number. And then the number was disconnected. After that, he started getting calls from a new number. And I had my friend run a geotrack. Got the address. It's...It's an apartment in Carpenteria."

"Isobel's in Carpenteria?"

"I don't know. I thought we could take a look and see what we find."

"Perfect. Give me the address."

"Oh, so you can go without me? No. I don't think so."

"I'm not going with you. You tried to kill me."

"Yeah, well, you did kill me."

"You drive. Pick Em and I up in an hour."

"Done." An hour later, Erica walked into the foyer to talk to her parents about her latest visit with her uncle.

"He's just being dramatic. He's not gonna starve himself," Emma said, rolling her eyes.

"Why would he say that?" Erica asked.

"He feels bad about hurting that girl. It's very typical Stefan martyr stuff. It will pass," said Damon.

"Will it? Because he seemed to be in a lot of pain."

"Yeah. Well, that will pass, too, once he eats."

"I didn't mean physical pain."

"I know what you meant. Look, are you gonna be okay here if we run out? We have to go on an errand with the teacher."

"The teacher? Alaric? Are you two friends now?"

"I would say individuals with a common goal. You should, um, you should stay up here. You shouldn't be down there by yourself."

"I'll be fine."

"You know...you're very trusting of him, given the circumstances," said Emma, putting on her coat.

"So are you, mom. Otherwise, you wouldn't be leaving."

"We won't be long," Damon replied before opening the door.

When they arrived in Grove Hill, the two vampires and human walked up to a house.

"This is it. The records show it was paid three months in advance," said Alaric, locking his car.

"This is where it gets tricky. We may or may not be able to get in."

"How does that work by the way?" Alaric asked. "You always have to be invited in?"

"By the owner or the person of entitlement. Short-term rentals and hotels are a bit of a gray area. You kind of gotta play it by ear."

"Guys, could we not kill anyone tonight?" Alaric asked.

"So you just brought us along for our company?" Damon twisted the door knob off and Alaric walked inside, followed by Damon and Emma. "It doesn't look like anyone's home. No permanent resident apparently." Damon walked to refrigerator and saw a few blood bags. "Em, we have company."

Suddenly, a vampire jumped onto Alaric. He punched the vampire in the gut, removing him from his back. The vampire tried to attack again, but Emma threw him off Alaric and jumped in the middle of the two men.

"Boys, boys, that's enough. I know you."

"Emma?" said the vampire.

"Your name is Henry. You were in the tomb."

"Yes, ma'am. What are you doing here?"

"We're here to see John," Damon lied. "Is he around?"

"How do you know John?" Henry asked.

"Well, we've known him for years. He's a good friend. How do you know him?" Damon asked.

"I met him right after I got out of the tomb. He's been helping me out."

"This is John Gilbert we're talking about, right?" Emma asked.

"He's been helping me adapt. Cars, computers, match dot com. There's so much to learn. He helped me get this place."

"So do you live here alone? Or is there someone else here?" Alaric asked. Damon shot Alaric a look.

"That's my friend's very...passive-aggressive way of asking, uh, do you know a woman named Isobel?" Damon finally asked.

"Sorry. I don't know an Isobel. I know John. He's my only real friend. He showed me the ropes. How to use a microwave, separate my whites." Emma just rolled her eyes.

"What else do you do for him?" Emma questioned.

"I help him keep an eye on things, you know…with the others. From the tomb. They're still pissed about being locked in that cave. I'm cool, but those tomb boys want revenge."

"What does John want with them?" Emma asked, curious.

"He's keeping an eye on them, you know? Trying to make sure they stay out of trouble."

"Well, that's John. He's such a do-gooder," said Damon as Henry's cell phone rang.

"That's John now."

"Let me talk to him," said Damon as Henry handed him the phone, but Damon didn't answer it.

"You going to get that?"

"Am I going to…answer that?" Emma shook her head and Henry looked around at the group.

"What's going on?" Henry turned to attack Alaric, but Emma held him back as Alaric staked him. She threw Henry on the ground.

"Let's not kill anyone tonight. Your words. Just pointing that out," said Damon as he walked away and started rifling through drawers. A few minutes later, Alaric plopped onto the couch in the living room.

"Find anything yet?" Emma asked.

"No, I looked everywhere. The place is...The place is clean."

"Well, I found this. Behind the blood in the fridge," said Damon, throwing Alaric a beer.

"Oh, man, this was a real dead-end," he groaned.

"I wouldn't beat myself up over it. What did you think you were gonna find, huh? Isobel with a cigar and slippers?" Emma asked.

"Oh, man. I...I gotta stop this. I can't...I can't keep searching for her."

"Really? After only 2 years? That's actually...moderately healthy," Damon quipped.

"I mean, no answer is enough. I keep thinking I wanna know why, when, you know, the precise moment when my wife decided life with me wasn't enough."

"She charmed me, Isobel. She talked a good game, man. She was smart. She had this excitement in her eyes. I probably should have known there was something different about her, some tie to Lydia. There had to be some reason I didn't kill her."

"That's enough, Damon. I don't wanna hear anymore. I just don't want to waste any more of my life searching for answers that I really don't want. I'm through with Isobel. I...I'm done with all of this. Yeah." Alaric left and Damon and Emma looked at each other, both feeling some sympathy for the jilted man.

When the couple returned home, Emma went upstairs to take a shower. Erica was reading a book in the library. Damon picked up Erica's legs and sat down on the couch before placing her legs over his lap.

"So how was the 'errand'?" she asked.

"Futile. Although, I think I witnessed the teacher having an existential crisis. Has Stefan eaten yet?"

"I thought you didn't care."

"Chalk it up to morbid curiosity."

"I think he's getting there. But he's got a lot of guilt that he has to deal with. And it doesn't help that you've spent all this time promising him an eternity of misery."

"This is my fault now?"

"No, it's no one's fault, Dad. I'm just saying you're not exactly innocent. You've made it your life's mission to make him miserable." Damon rose up in anger.

"Let me ask you a question. In all this important soul-searching and cleansing of the demons of Stefan's past, did you ever manage to get the rest of the story?"

"He said there was more."

"Yeah. That's an understatement."

"Dad. Dad, tell me."

"It all started before we were turned. I was betrothed to Katherine, but I was in love with your mother. She was the Roman Priestess to Minerva and had gone on a trip into the Alps. Her guard was ambushed and she had been taken prisoner by one of my Goth frenemies. It was all very complicated and political back then. I knew the Goth king fancied her and wanted me dead, but I was determined. I was going to get her back. And as King of the Gauls, I had the resources to do it. I tracked her in the mountains with one of my platoons and rescued her, but she was badly wounded. I took her to a local village to heal. That was when I discovered her secret."

"She was a witch."

"Hmm. Just like my family was. Did you know the Circle of Thorns are actually descendants of my family?" Erica shook her head. "My cousins comprised the Order of Kalku which later became the Circle. The Mikaelsons and Salvatore families had been opposing magical forces for years all due to my pig-headed father. That's why I decided to end the violence, form a treaty between us. But as I watched over Emma in that hut, I…all I wanted was her. I didn't care about anything else. When I returned to Rome with Emma, I requested a change to the treaty terms. Mikael agreed. Emma and I married a few days later. Stefan and Katherine were spitting mad, but their anger was nothing compared to my father. At our reception, he stabbed me in the back with a sword."

"Your father killed you?"

"Yup. Good old dad. And Stefan helped him. They hated the Romans even more than they hated me. Dad had always wanted Stefan to be king, but Gaul laws of inheritance are very strict. Only the eldest son can come to power. What he did…it set off a series of events. Even dead I couldn't rest until I knew she was safe."

"What do you mean?"

"I watched over Emma. I was a ghost. She was…I've never seen her so broken. Elijah had captured my father and put him in prison until Emma could come up with a punishment suitable enough for him. I…I told Emma not to do it. I screamed at her, but…she couldn't hear me."

"What'd she do?"

"She created the vampire race. The Salvatores were known for practicing blood magic while the Mikaelsons practiced dark magic. Two similar practices, but very different in their uses. She begged my mother and her mother to help her with a spell that would summon the power of Minerva and bring me back. And they did it, but it came at a price. My mother died, Esther was cursed, and the rest of us were turned into Original vampires. Because of me, Stefan was turned, but I never anticipated what lengths he'd go to. He lived for the blood. He killed our father. From the moment Stefan had his first taste of human blood, he was a different person. He made me drink too. That night changed us. It changed everything. He told me in private that he'd do whatever it took to take Emma away from me. So whatever I do to him now, I do it to protect Emma. I do it to protect this family. Why don't you think about that before you believe Stefan's sweet words? I may have been the reason for Emma doing that spell, but if he and Father hadn't killed me, we would all be bags of bones. I suppose I should thank him and Emma though. It's been a hell of a ride." Damon downed his drink.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"How could you? I never told you."

"And neither did Stefan. He left out those convenient details."

"Hmm. I'm not surprised. I'm very tired. Don't stay up too late." He kissed Erica's forehead and left the room. Erica watched as he walked away, her heart hurting for her father who had been betrayed so many times.


	21. All The Same To Me

It was around two in the morning when Damon woke to see Emma looking out the window, sitting on the window seat. Two white Roman candles illuminated the room in a soft glow. They rested on the table next to the window seat.

"Babe?" Damon called.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you," Emma said, not turning around.

"What are you doing up?"

"Thinking."

"It's a little bit early to be thinking," said Damon, rubbing his eyes.

"Go back to sleep."

"What's eating you?"

"Nothing," Emma sighed.

"I know that sigh. That's your 'I'm worried about something, but don't want anybody to know' sigh." Emma chuckled.

"Nothing gets past you."

"That's right."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"Do you hate me?"

"What?" Damon asked, shocked.

"For what I did 2,000 years ago."

"You heard my conversation with Erica."

"Vampire hearing. Kind of hard not to."

"I see."

"The truth of the matter is…I saw you that night…as a ghost. I've had the ability to see select people as ghosts since I was a little girl. I knew coming back wasn't what you wanted. I saw you there, begging for me not to do it, but I ignored you. I know it's selfish, but it…it was what I needed. I needed you back."

"Come here." Emma walked toward the bed and Damon pulled her onto his lap. He pulled one of the sleeves of her navy blue robe back onto her shoulder. "How long have you been carrying this around?"

"A while." Damon stroked her face.

"I love you. Nothing in the past, or in the present, or in the future could ever make me stop loving you. So no. I don't hate you. I never could. Hell, even the few times I'm mad at you it never lasts. Why didn't tell me about this?"

"I was afraid. I would bury it so deep down inside of me that I'd forget about it until every other century or so it'd pop back up."

"Don't ever be afraid to tell me anything. I will always love you. At the time, I didn't want you to do the spell because I was afraid of the consequences for you. I didn't want you to end up like me…on The Other Side."

"Your mother's dead because of me."

"No. That's not true. She wanted to do that spell as much as you did. It was her choice. Not yours. She could have said no."

"I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, dearest."

"Yes, I do. I ripped your family apart. If you'd never met me…"

"I'd be dead," Damon interrupted. "For not one second have I regretted the choices I've made or the life I've had with you. I wouldn't change a thing. So stop all this doubting nonsense. It's quite unlike you."

"Thank you."

"Silly girl. You don't have to thank me either."

The following morning, Damon walked down stairs to the kitchen to see Emma drinking a wine glass of blood.

"Hey." He kissed her good morning.

"Hi." Damon then noticed a devious smirk on Emma's lips.

"What did you do?"

"Well, I was out getting the mail right and I heard these weird noises in the woods. So naturally I went to investigate the source and guess who I found having sex in the forest? Elijah and Rose."

"Oh no."

"It gets better." Emma pulled out a basket from the pantry filled with clothes. Damon gasped.

"Why you little…oh, I love you. You check on Stefan?"

"Yeah. He's terrible."

"Huh?"

"He's just back to boring, straight-laced, off the junk. We've successfully cured him of anything that was interesting about his personality."

"Don't forget who helped me."

"I hate myself. I let him out a few minutes ago. I think he went into the woods for a run. Hope he doesn't run into Rose and Elijah.

"Speaking of Rose and Elijah, where's that Trevor fellow?

"Oh, he split once he heard Elijah was back. Evidently, brother wants his head on a silver platter for some reason. I wasn't paying much attention to Rose's explanation." A knock then came to the back door and Emma opened it.

"What do you want?" Damon asked, seeing Alaric.

"We need to talk."

"What's with all the furrowed brows?" Katherine asked, entering the kitchen with Nik and Kol.

"I saw Isobel last night," said Alaric.

"Isobel is here? In town? Did you ask her about John? Are they working together?" Damon asked.

"No."

"No, they're not?"

"No, I didn't ask."

"What about the device?"

"Didn't ask."

"Did she know about the tomb vampires?"

"I don't know."

"Did words completely escape you!"

"No, I was a little too distracted by my vampire wife to ask any questions!"

"What does she want?" Emma asked.

"An audience. With you," Ric replied. "I'm supposed to arrange a meeting. I don't know what she wants."

"You don't have to see her if you don't want to," said Klaus.

"I don't think you're really going to have a choice," Alaric replied.

"And why's that?" Kol asked.

"She's threatening to go on a killing spree."

"I take it that's not okay with you guys," Kol replied. Emma sent him a glare and he raised his hands in defense.

"Psychotic bitch," Emma muttered to herself. "Set it up. The Tea Leaf on State Street. Isobel will get her meeting, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let myself get pushed around by a fledgling. It's time Isobel learns the order of things." Suddenly, Emma and Damon heard yelling.

"Emma, I'm going to kill you!" Elijah boomed. Emma and Damon laughed.

"What's going on?" Alaric asked.

"Let me just put this way. When you have eleven Originals under one roof, clothing hijinks are bound to ensue," Damon chuckled.

Around lunchtime, Emma arrived at The Tea Leaf in downtown Santa Barbara. The epitome of calm, she sat down at a table. With a gush of wind, Isobel appeared in front of her.

"Hello, Emma. Wow. You look just like her. It's eerie."

"You've met my sister," Emma surmised.

"She found me after I turned," said Isobel as Emma looked at the necklace around the younger vampire's neck. It contained a lapis lazuli stone.

"That necklace. It's lapis lazuli. That's how you're able to walk in the sun."

"Katherine helped me obtain it."

"Why did you want to meet me?"

"I'm looking for something. The da Vinci device."

"What do you want with it?"

"I'm just doing what I'm told. I don't want it personally."

Meanwhile, Damon and Alaric were standing outside of the shop.

"We should be in there," Damon growled.

"No, Isobel made it clear we're not to step a foot inside."

"I'm not going to kill her in a crowd restaurant."

"You're not going to kill her period!"

"She ruined your life and you still want to protect her?"

"She's my wife." Damon shot him a look. "Was my wife. I looked for the woman I married but she wasn't there. Whoever that is she's cold and detached."

"Yeah, she's given up her humanity."

"Yeah, see, I don't get that. Emma has her humanity and she's a good woman. And you're a dick and you kill people but I still see something human in you. But with her there was…nothing."

"You can turn it off, like a button you can press. As a vampire, your instinct is not to feel. Isobel chose the easier road — no guilt, no shame, no regret. I mean, come on, if you could turn it off, wouldn't you?"

"You haven't."

"Of course I have, Ric. It's why I'm so fun to be around."

Back in the tea shop, Emma was growing very frustrated.

"Why did you want to meet me?"

"Because I'm curious about you. But the real reason is: I want what John Gilbert wants. Da Vinci's invention."

"How do you know John?"

"I used to spend a lot of time here when I was younger. John had a crush on me for years. He was the first one that told me about vampires."

"So what made you want to be one?"

"It's a very long list of reasons, Emma. All of which I'm sure you've thought about. Forever doesn't last very long when you're human."

"I'm sorry, but I don't have what you're looking for." Emma rose from her seat, but Isobel grabbed her arm. Emma easily yanked it from her grasp.

"I want the device."

"I don't have it."

"I know that. But Damon does. You are going to get it for me."

"I don't think so."

"Then the blood will be on your hands," Isobel replied before leaving.

That evening, Isobel walked into her house to find Damon shirtless, playing strip poker with one of Isobel's minions.

"And it's just one blast from the past after another," said Isobel as her minion left.

"It's good to see you, Isobel. I was just having fun with your naughty little minion," Damon replied, putting his shirt back on.

"How did you find me?"

"Searched for the neighborhood bank owned foreclosures and found the most expensive one."

"Oh I should have known. You're the one who taught me that. What are you really doing here?"

"Well you caused quite a stir when you blew into town. Saw everyone except for the man who made you. I'm a little hurt."

"I'm so sorry. Did you bring the device?"

"What are you doing with John Gilbert?"

"We dated a few times when we were young. He was a little bit in love with me."

"I'm sure. One of many. Now, this little invention. What do you want with it?"

"Oh, me personally? I don't want anything with it. I'm just doing what I'm told."

"Who are you working for? Can't be John. He doesn't strike me as the planning type."

"You're right. I'm working for Lydia. I believe you know of her."

"Unfortunately."

"She wants John to have it. And I think you know better than anyone that she's not happy when she doesn't get what she wants."

"Should have known. Why are you doing her dirty work?"

"Don't kill the messenger. We both know that you can't control Lydia. She does what she wants."

"So do I."

"Oh really, Damon? You do?" Damon then grabbed her by the throat and slammed her on the floor.

"Do not disrespect me! Ever! Now that I have your attention, listen up. You do not come into my town; threaten the people I care about. Going after Emma? Bad move. You leave her alone or I will rip you to bits because I do believe in killing the messenger. You know why? Because it sends a message." He slammed her head on the ground again and she cried in pain. "Lydia wants something from me? You tell that little bitch to come get it herself."

The following morning, Bonnie called Emma over to her house. As she was leafing through a spell book in the kitchen, Emma entered the room.

"Hey! Thanks for coming over. I wanted you to see this," said Bonnie

"Is that Ameila Bennett's spell book?"

"I've been going through it since Grams died. Check this out."

"That's the da Vinci vampire compass."

"According to Emily, da Vinci never actually succeeded in inventing any of his vampire devices. Amelia secretly spelled them all with magic. Compass, rings and the mystery device you told me about." Bonnie turned the page.

"That's the device. Well, a part of it. Damon only has the one piece. Does it say what it does?"

"Are you sure this is what Isobel wants?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Why?"

"This is a weapon. Against vampires." Later, Emma was working on an event in the gardens surrounding the Courthouse when Nathan walked up to her.

"Emma! Do you have a second?"

"Yeah. What's up? What's going on?"

"Well, it's Anna. I've left her all these messages and she hasn't gotten back to me, not even a text."

"Anna? I didn't know that you guys were still friends."

"We're more than friends. Look, something could be seriously wrong and if you know anything you've got to tell me."

"I haven't talked to her, Nate."

"Are you lying to me right now?"

"Why do you say that?"

"'Cause that's what you do. Lie. You lie about everything. I know what you did to me, I know what Anna is, and I know that you know. So tell me, do you have any idea where she is?"

"No, but Nate…Nathan wait!" He took off and when she turned around, Isobel was standing behind her.

"What are you doing here?"

"You have a lot of people that you care about. I've been studying. Let's see if I got this right."

"There is the witchy friend, Bonnie. Gonna stay away from that one."

"Oh…sad little Nathan."

"And there's Caroline…obnoxious Caroline. I got all of my info from her by the way. She had no idea who I was and she wouldn't stop yapping. Oh…and there's Matt, friend, yappy's future ex."

"You shouldn't be here. You need to leave."

"No, I have some friends here too. Look, you see that man over here, standing next to Matt by the stage? His name is Frank. He's very handsome and he's also quite handy and he'd noticed that the undercarriage is a little rusty which is very dangerous. So, all you have to do is apply a little bit of pressure and…" Frank jumped onto the stage above Matt and Matt's arm got crushed. Emma went to run to help him, but Isobel grabbed her. A group of Emma's employees helped remove Matt from the undercarriage.

"Why are you doing this?"

"I'm showing you how easy it is to hurt the people that you care about."

"And you're doing this just because of Jonathan Gilbert's invention?"

"Hand it over and all this will stop."

"He'll kill you before he gives it up."

"Is that before or after I kill Nathan?" Emma turned around to see Nathan, but he had disappeared.

"Nathan? Nathan!" Isobel had vanished as well. "Damon!" Damon rushed to her side.

"What's wrong? I heard you all the way from inside the courthouse."

"She has Nathan."

"We'll get Nathan back. I promise you. I know how Isobel thinks."

"How? She has Nathan! The minute she sees you, he's dead! We need a better plan!"

"And what is that plan? We have no other options except force. I'm not giving her the device."

"What if it didn't work?"

"Huh?" Later, Damon, Emma, Bonnie, and Stefan were talking in the living room of the Salvatore Mansion.

"Absolutely not," said Damon.

"I'm not gonna give the device to Isobel so she can give it to John who is going to turn it on and kill me. I like being a living dead person."

"But it'll be useless. Bonnie can take its power away."

"I don't trust her."

"I can remove the original spell," said Bonnie.

"John and Isobel will never know," Emma added.

"No. I'll get Nathan my own way."

"Really? How are you going to do that? Because Isobel's a vampire and Nathan could be dead the second you walk in the door," said Stefan.

"Are you even up for this?" Damon asked. "I mean no offense. You're no Amelia Bennett. Amelia knew what she was doing."

"I've been practicing."

"It's not piano lessons, honey," said Klaus, walking into the room.

"What's your favorite book?" Bonnie asked Damon.

"What?"

"Name a book, any book."

"Name a book…how about Call of the Wild, Jack London?" Bonnie turned to the library and a book flew into Damon's hand. "Jack London. Nice parlor trick."

"We're doing this. And we're doing it my way. Now give me the device. We're wasting time!" said Emma.

"I don't trust you," said Damon to Bonnie.

"You're right. You can't trust me."

"But you can trust me," said Emma. "Ille filium nostrum. _(He's our son.)_"

"Ego eam accipere potest. _(I can take her out.)_"

"Damon, placet. Lorem breve tempus. _(Damon, please. We're running out of time.)_"

"Just for the record, I hate this idea," said Damon as he fished the device out of his pocket and handed it to Bonnie.

That night, Emma stood in the middle of the beach, the cool wind biting against her skin.

"Where is the device?" asked Isobel, appearing behind Emma.

"Where is Nathan?" Emma asked, turning around.

"This is not a negotiation. Where is the device?"

"Where is Nathan?"

"Do you really think I came alone?" Isobel's two henchmen appeared behind Emma.

"Did you really think that I came alone?" The entire Original Family appeared behind Isobel. "I think you're vastly outnumbered."

"For God's sakes, call Erica."

"What?"

"Call Erica." Emma grabbed her phone from her pocket and immediately called Erica. Nathan was home, safe and sound. She ended the call. "You were never going to hurt him."

"No, I was going to kill him." Emma removed the device from her pocket and threw it to Isobel.

"Take it and leave. And before I forget." Emma sped and slapped Isobel hard. "I'm much older than you. If you want to reach one hundred, I suggest you learn the lesson that older means stronger! I could rip you open with a snap of my wrist. So if I ever see you again, you're dead." Emma then left and arrived at the Samadi household. Emma leaned against the doorway of Nathan's room.

"Nathan, we have to talk about all this," said Emma.

"No, we really don't."

"I don't know what Anna told you but there are things that you need to know."

"Yeah? Because I'm pretty sure that your journal covered it."

"You read my journal?"

"And save me the speech about invasion of privacy because I read a section about Damon erasing my memory, about what happened to Vicki."

"Nathan, please, you don't understand. The night that Vicki died…it hurt so much to see you like that. I just wanted to take away your pain. I'm so sorry."

"Get out!"

"Nathan."

"Just get out. Please." Emma left and turned, but he slammed the door in her face. Meanwhile at Club Blood Desire, Caroline and Bonnie were having dinner.

"So you're not going to tell me what happened?" Caroline asked.

"I did something bad, Caroline, and I lied about it."

"To who?"

"To Emma. I pretended to do something I didn't really do."

"What are you talking about?"

"I couldn't do what she wanted me to do. It wasn't right. Grams would have never done it, so I couldn't either. But when Emma finds out…she's never gonna forgive me."


	22. This Time It's Different

"Mmm. Damon, stop," Emma moaned, stretching as she felt Damon's lips brush and lick at the back of her ear and neck.

"But you smell so delicious, love." He wrapped an arm around her waist, pressing her back against his morning wood and pulling her neck closer to his nose.

"It's quite unusual to see you so…affectionate in the morning."

"Would you like grumpy instead?"

"No." She turned in his arms and drew imaginary figures across his chest as she kissed his jaw. "I much prefer you like this. Aroused, naked, sexy."

Damon growled and flipped her on her back. He kissed her quickly before trailing his lips down her stomach. He spread her legs, laying her open for his hungry mouth. A deep, throat moan left Emma's lips with his first lick of her folds. With every touch of his tongue and fingers inside her, heat blazed through Emma's body, ramping up her moans to pants.

"Damon, please," she begged. Knowing exactly what would throw her over the edge, he embedded his fangs deeply in her femoral artery.

"Yes. Ugh. God, yes," she screamed, holding his head to her thigh. When his fangs left her beautiful blood, her orgasm soaked the sheets.

"That's my girl." Before he even realized it, Emma threw him on his back and impaled herself on him. They both groaned, Damon's eyes rolling into the back of his head. With darkening eyes, they both found their rhythm, Damon's hands on Emma's hips, her hands resting against his chest. With a devious glint in her eyes, she rode against him harder and faster, rotating her hips the way she knew he liked it. "Fuck," he cursed.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh, yes, yes…"

"Yes. More," Damon growled, his grip on her tightening. Emma braced herself against the headboard and moved at vampiric speed.

"YES!" They both screamed as their orgasms blinded them. In a sweaty mess, Emma collapsed on him.

"I don't think it's ever been that good," Damon laughed.

"Morning sex is always better. Especially when you've just bitten me."

"You'll have to remind me to do that more often."

Later in the morning, Elijah walked into Emma's bedroom with a hand over his eyes. Emma chuckled, seeing him in her mirror.

"It's okay. The bedroom escapades are over. Damon left a little while ago."

"Okay. Good." He pulled his hand away from his eyes.

"If you've come to scold me for stealing yours and Rose's clothes, forget it. You shouldn't have made yourself so vulnerable."

"You seriously aren't going to wear that necklace with that outfit are you?" Elijah asked.

"I don't remember asking your opinion."

"That's because you didn't, nor do you ever."

"Then shut up and let me wear my pendant."

"I'm telling you it doesn't match your blouse."

"I'm wearing it anyway."

"It's your funeral." Emma paused for a moment. "What?"

"Do you really feel that way? Like I don't value your opinion, that I don't appreciate your role in my life?"

"It's not like we've spent much time together, just you and me, since I returned to Santa Barbara. I understand you have Damon in your life, but…"

"Damon's been in my life for 2,000 years. Please don't tell me you're still jealous." Elijah looked away. "You are!" He blushed, but was surprised when Emma hugged him. He returned it wholeheartedly. "I love you, brother."

"I love you too, sister."

"You are just as important to me as Damon. Nothing would ever change that. I don't know what I'd do without you. Come on. You and me are going to spend the whole day together."

"What about Damon?"

"Don't worry about him. He got called to the hospital. Some intern made some mistake and I'm sure Damon is either right in the middle of firing him."

"Or eating him."

"Or both," Emma laughed. "Come on. We'll go downtown for the festival today." When Elijah and Emma arrived in downtown Santa Barbara, Emma saw Nathan. "Hang on. I've got to talk to Nathan for a minute." She ran in his direction. "Nathan! I was wondering where you were."

"Go away, Emma."

"Nathan, come on. Please. I don't want it to be like this between us."

"Why don't you have Damon erase my memory again? Then I could go back to being your in the dark son."

"Nate, please."

"Just don't! You can't fix this that easily; something like this doesn't just get fixed."

"I don't believe that we can't fix this. I lied, I was wrong but you're my son, Nate. And I love you and I have to fix it. So just tell me, what can I do?"

"You can go to hell…Mom." He walked away and as Emma stood on the street on the verge of tears, Elijah noticed Damon had watched the entire conversation. Damon nodded to Elijah to go to Emma and Elijah knew as he walked toward Emma that Nathan was in for a world of scolding from his father.

"My son hates me. And why wouldn't he?" Emma asked as Elijah put his arm around his sister's shoulders. "My journal gave him every single reason to."

"He's just hurt and confused."

"He's never going to forgive me for Vicki, for taking away his memory, for lying to him."

"It's fruitless to become so upset, Emmalyne. He's your son. He'll forgive you. Just give him some time."

"Do you really believe that?" Emma asked, wiping her eyes.

"I do. Come on. If I remember correctly, you have quite the sweet tooth for truffles and I noticed a Kilwins just down the street. My treat."

"Okay. You're the best, 'Lijah."

"Glad to hear it." As Elijah and Emma left, Damon caught up with Nathan.

"I have so many emotions, but I don't have a way to express them. Being a teenager is so hard!" Damon mocked as he followed Nathan.

"Dick," Nathan muttered.

"Hey, you don't talk to me like that! I'm not your mother," Damon yelled, grabbing his arm. "And from now on you don't talk to your mother like that either."

"What, you're going to kill me 'cause I hurt Emma's feelings?"

"Cut her some slack."

"She erased my memories!"

"No, I did! She was protecting you!" Damon replied.

"It wasn't her call to make." Damon's grip on Nathan's wrist tightened. "Let go of my arm before I cause a scene."

"Let him go," said Stefan from behind his brother. Damon growled as he released Nathan. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Nathan answered.

"What my brother is trying to say is don't blame Emma for this. Vicki was a threat to you and Erica and like always your parents have tried to protect you from those threats. I'm sorry that it happened. I wish that it hadn't."

"Shouldn't have made me forget," said Nathan before walking off.

"Good cop, bad cop. I like it," Damon smiled.

"What are you doing?" Stefan asked exasperatedly.

"He's being a punk." Stefan shot him a look. "Oh, I get it," Damon laughed, catching on. "There's only one 'do-gooder' role available and it's currently occupied by you. My bad. I'm sorry."

"Get over yourself. We both know you're not doing this for the right reasons." Damon grabbed Stefan by the collar of his shirt.

"You need to stay out of this. He's my son and you have no idea what I'd give up for him. Question my parenting skills again and you'll be getting your blood through a feeding tube."

That night, Damon was walking through the cool breeze of downtown Santa Barbara when he spotted Anna.

"You're still around?" he asked.

"There's something you need to know. The vampires from the tomb are planning an attack tonight."

"How do you know this?"

"I went to them. They think I'm with them but I'm not. They know it'd be pointless to go after the Family so they're going to take out the human founding families. They want them dead."

"When is this supposed to happen?"

"When the fireworks start tonight."

"John Gilbert wants to use that invention on them."

"Then we can't be here."

"It doesn't work. It's been deactivated."

"Well, then a lot of people are gonna die."

"Where are they right now?"

"They're already here, Damon."

"Ric!"

"Yeah?" he answered, walking away from the crowd.

"You keep those nifty little vampire weapons in the car?"

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Because this street is crawling with tomb vampires. I think we might need a stake or two."

"Yeah, got it." Damon then sent a text to the remaining members of the Original Families before walking to Emma and Elijah.

"Hey," Emma said.

"Hey. Tomb vamps are here, founding families are their target." He turned to leave.

"Erica's home, but Nathan's out here somewhere," said Emma.

"Let's go find him. Come on," said Elijah as Damon walked off.

Meanwhile, Damon was confronting John Gilbert in an old building.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Damon asked.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact I do," John smirked as he turned on the device and an ear-splitting shriek permeated the air. Damon clutched his head as excruciating pain shot through him. It felt like needles stabbing his skull. He kneeled to the floor as John sedated him with vervain. In that moment, Damon's eyes drooped and he fell into unconsciousness. Outside, Elijah and Emma held their head in pain. The tomb vampires as well as vampires loyal to Emma began to fall one by one. In an effort to protect those loyal to her, Emma bit her wrist and blood fell onto the ground. She placed a hand in the blood and it began to glow.

"Protect those of the blood, those loyal to the cause." The Original Families and Emma's vampires recovered and escaped from police officers as the tomb vampires fell. Damon moaned when he woke up. He turned around to see Anna dead and the mayor on the floor as the building lit up in a blaze of fire.

"Mayor, is that you? What are you doing here? The vervain didn't affect you. You're not a vampire. What the hell are you?" A vampire then snapped the mayor's neck, ending Damon's questioning.

"It's the da Vinci Device. It has to be," said Elijah

"But how did he get it to work? Bonnie unspelled it." Emma replied.

"Maybe she didn't," said Ric, walking toward them.

"She did, we saw her do it."

"No, no, no, he's right. Think about it. We asked Bonnie to deactivate a device that would protect people against vampires. Where is Damon?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen him since this started," said Ric.

"Get Nathan, take him home."

"Of course," Alaric nodded as the other Originals appeared. "Let's go and crack John's skull open." They left the alley and approached John outside the old Gilbert Building.

"Where is he, John?" John just looked at her.

"You don't want to make her ask twice. Trust me," said Rebekah.

"He's with the rest of them. Where he should be. It's over for Damon."

"You're crazy."

"Why? Because I'm doing what should have been done years ago? This is the right thing, Emma. Go ahead. You won't make it out. It'll save me the trouble of killing you myself."

"We'll see about that." The Originals walked to the building behind John and Emma closed her eyes. "Damon's right here. I can sense him."

"You can't go in there!" Bonnie yelled. Emma bared her fangs and pushed Bonnie. "The fire will take you out. I can help you get Damon out."

"I don't trust you."

"Emma, I'm sorry I lied to you."

"Get out before I do something I regret." Bonnie ran away and using all her strength, Emma punched a hole through the brick wall. At vampire speed, Stefan and Emma ran into the room, getting Damon out just in time before the building collapsed. Damon and Emma hugged as they leaned against the adjacent alley wall, Damon breathing in the fresh air.

"That was pretty close," said Damon.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I'm good. Can we kill John now?"

"Near death and he's still cracking jokes," Finn sighed.

"There's my brother for you," Sage added.

Later that night, Nathan was in his room when he noticed Damon in the doorway.

"What are you doing here?"

"Anna's dead."

"I figured that once they took her away."

"I know you cared about her."

"Yeah I did."

"I saw her killed. I was watching and all I could think about was…I wanted to help her but I couldn't."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"I took away your suffering once before. I can do it again but it's your choice."

"Look, I know you think you took it away but it's still there. Even if I can't remember why. I still feel empty, alone and making me forget won't fix it. It won't fix what's really wrong."

"I'm sorry for my part in all this. It was never my intention. I just…I just wanted to protect my boy."

"In a way, I guess I can understand that. Anna said that vampires don't have to feel pain; that they could turn it off if they shut out their humanity."

"It's very true."

"Is it easier that way?"

"Is what easier?"

"Life."

"Take it from a guy who's been around a long, long time. Life sucks either way, Nathan, but at least if you're a vampire you don't have to feel bad about it if you don't want to."

"Is that what you did?"

"I've never told anyone this. I turned it off once. After Russia…I did it for a…I did it for a very long time and life was a lot easier." He looked at Nathan and left. Meanwhile at the Original Family compound, Bonnie ran into Elijah at the front gate.

"Walking into the lion's den much, aren't you?" Elijah asked.

"I need to talk to you and only you."

"Oh?"

"Emma is my best friend and because she loves Damon, I couldn't let him die in that fire."

"I'm grateful. I hope you know that. Emma would have been devastated if she lost Damon again."

"I know. But I also hope you know that things have to change. We both want to protect the people we care about. You saw what I was able to do tonight, I know who I am now and if you, your family, any of your vampires, or even Emma spill so much as one drop of innocent blood, I'll take them down."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because out of all your siblings, you seem to be the one with the most honor."

"Hmm. Well, let's hope it doesn't come to a witch-vampire war then shall we?"

"Let's hope it doesn't. Because we both know who'll win."

Later at the Samadi residence, Emma walked up the porch steps when she saw Stefan sitting outside.

"What are you doing here?" Stefan asked.

"Erica needed me to swing by and Damon and I kind of had an argument. I needed a five-second break."

"What'd he do this time?"

"I don't want to talk about it. You were right, Stefan. Damon isn't good enough for me." Suddenly, Emma kissed Stefan and then walked inside the house. Stefan was speechless as he left. In the Gilbert kitchen, John opened the fridge and when he closed it Emma was there.

"Emma," he said shocked. "So you made it out alive. You scared me."

"Sorry."

"You know, I first met Isobel when I was a teenager. I fell in love with her instantly although I'm pretty sure she never loved me. She was special. A part of why I hate the vampires so much is because of what she became, how it ruined her and I never would have sent her to Damon had I known she wanted to turn. It's my fault. I'm telling you this because I hoped maybe you'd understand."

"I do. So I hope you understand this." She took a knife and cut his fingers off. She pushed him into the refrigerator and John screamed.

"Emma!"

"I'm hurt, John. You don't even recognize me? Well, maybe I should lose this skin." She transformed into a brunette, fair-skinned woman. "I told you not to touch the Salvatores."

"Lydia?"

"Hello, John. Goodbye, John." Her eyes turned black and she stabbed him in the stomach.

TO BE CONTINUED…


End file.
